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\IA     UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


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AIXSVIAIIA 


THE  TWIN    BROTHERS. 

REV.  JOSEPH  H.  AND  WM.  W.  SMITH 

While  on  the  Coast  of  Brazil,  they  discovered  Two  Unknown 

Silent  Forces  :  The  Source  of  Magnetic  Power, 

and  the  Repulsive  Force  found 

in  all  Nature. 


EARTH    AND     ITS     ATMOSPHERE' 


Written  for  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition. 


of  the 


g)penecl. 


THE  GLORY  OF  GOD  REVEALED 


IN  THF, 


Sun,  Moon,  Planets  and  Stars,  by  a  New  Appli 
cation  of  Magnetic  Force  and  Power, 


BY 

W.   SMITH, 

OF   "CELESTIAL,  DYNAMICS." 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1884,  by  William  Wiggin  Smith, 

in  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 

[ALL  RIGHTS  RESERVED.] 


SAN    FRANCISCO. 
BACON    PRINTING    COMPANY. 

1893. 


PEEFACE. 

Inasmuch  as  these  astronomical  discoveries  are  claimed 
to  be  new  and  original,  I  considered  it  advisable  and 
expedient  on  my  part  to  quote  some  of  the  different 
opinions  of  learned  professors  and  scientists  on  the  vari- 
ous subjects  I  have  endeavored  to  place  before  the  people 
in  this,  my  publication  ;  wherein,  my  readers  will  observe 
as  clearly  substantiating  and  establishing  the  truth  of 
these  my  researches. 

PROFESSOR   NORTON. 

Those  of  Professor  Norton,  of  the  "  State  Normal 
School  of  San  Jose,  California."  He  saw  and  read  an 
article  which  I  wrote,  and  I  had  the  same  published  in 
the  San  Francisco  Chronicle,  in  the  year  1871.  That 
was  in  regard  to  my  "  New  Repulsive  Force  as  applied  to- 
the  Tides." 

"Professor  Norton  at  that  time  was  acting  in  the 
capacity  of  Professor  of  Physics  in  the  State  Normal 
School  at  San  Jose,  California,"  and  was  present  at  the 
Congregational  Association  which  was  then  convening  at 
Redwood  City,  California,  in  the  year  1874. 

Prof.  Norton  delivered  a  lecture  at  11  o'clock  A.  M. 
The  subject  was,  "  Two  Parallel  Lines  Between  Science 


ii  Preface. 

and  the  Bible."  And  it  proved  to  be  very  interesting, 
and  was  listened  to  with  rapt  attention  all  by  throughout. 

The  writer  had  never  seen  the  Professor  until  he  ap- 
peared at  his  desk  to  deliver  the  lecture  above  stated. 

In  that  lecture  Professor  Norton  emphasized  very  boldly 
the  fact  that  the  lines  of  science  and  the  Bible  were  run- 
ning more  and  more  in  parallel  lines  with  each  other  ; 
and  that  the  schools,  churches  and  science  also  demand  it. 
And  the  demands  are  being  supplied  in  many  ways. 

And  in  proof  of  this  declaration,  he  said  a  new  force, — 
yes,  a  repulsive  force , — had  been  discovered  in  all  nature, 
and  this  new  force  he  predicted  to  be  one  of  the  best 
as  well  as  the  chief  leading  points  to  parallel  lines  be- 
tween the  Bible  and  science. 

And  this  new  force  itself  must  harmonize  and  bring  the 
minds  of  conflicting  parties  to  think  alike  and  run  together 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord. 

In  the  course  of  his  lecture  he  made  this  assertion : 
4<  When  a  man  up  in  the  country  is  bold  enough  to  step 
outside  of  the  scientific  works  of  the  times,  and  asserting  a 
fact  in  regard  to  the  tides  goes  on  and  proves  thatybc£,  I 
say  unhesitatingly  that  he  stands  high  above  them  all  on 
that  fact  in  science. 

"Yes,  that  discoverer  up  in  the  country  stands  upon  a 
high  and  lofty  eminence,  around  which  the  philosophers 
and  sophists  of  past  ages  have  marched  around  and 
around.  Where  no  man  except  Moses  has  stood  ;  and 
God  told  him  to  pull  off  his  shoes.  But  Moses  was  so 


Preface.  iii 

wrought  upon  that  it  was  enough  to  obey  and  see  the 
divine  side  of  the  burning  bush,  and  to  pull  off  his  shoes 
and  await  God's  commands." 

At  the  close  of  the  lecture,  the  writer  obtained  an  in- 
troduction to  the  Prof.  Our  greetings  were  very  pleas- 
ant, open,  and  frank.  The  writer  congratulated  him  on 
his  successful  lecture  ;  also,  inquiring  at  what  time  and 
place  he  found  that  "  New  Repulsive  Force  ?  "  The  an- 
swer was  that  he  read  it  in  the  San  Francisco  Chronicle. 
Had  saved  the  paper  in  which  he  found  the  article  relat- 
ing to  that  scientific  point,  concerning  the  tides  of  the 
oceanic  waves. 

He  considered  it  a  perfect  success.  "  Do  you  remember 
the  name?"  "  No,  but  I  remember  the  subject,  and  had 
hoped  to  meet  and  know  him  ere  this,  but  as  yet  have 
not  had  the  pleasure." 

u  He  wrote  the  article  in  very  plain  Saxon  style.  I  took 
it  all  in.  I  have  read  the  English,  French,  and  German  ; 
in  fact,  all  works  relating  to  the  subject  of  the  tides. 
But  they  copy  and  copy,  one  after  another,  not  knowing 
any  of  the  facts  in  the  case." 

At  this  point  the  writer  said  to  the  Prof.,  "  I  am  that 
man  of  whom  you  have  spoken  so  frankly.  I  wrote 
the  Key  to  the  Tides,  and  had  it  published  in  the  San 
Francisco  Chronicle." 

We  were  standing  in  the  aisle  of  the  church  at  the 
time,  in  which  the  Prof,  had  lectured,  and  as  the  writer 
said,  "  I  am  the  man  from  the  country  who  wrote  that 


iv  Preface. 

article,"  the  P^'of.  stepped  back  a  few  steps,  then  forward 
again,  extended  his  hand  which  I  grasped,  the  Prof,  say- 
ing, "  I  am  happy  to  meet  and  greet  you  in  so  good  a  place 
as  this  Association  here  in  Redwood  City,  where  so  many 
ministers  and  delegates  have  assembled.  I  remember  the 
name  of  the  man  now,  it  was  Smith,  was  it  not?  "  "  Oh, 
yes,''  said  the  writer,  "they  call  me  '  Old  Parson  Smith  ' 
up  in  our  part  of  the  country."  "  Oh,  yes,  yes,  you  are 
a  preacher,  and  a  delegate  too?  "  "Yes,  sir."  "I  am 
glad  I  came  over  to  this  Association,  for  I  am  happily 
disappointed  in  the  way  you  have  handled  my  Key  to 
the  Tides. 

"And  you  being  a  reader,  as  well  as  a  teacher  and 
professional  scientist,  I,  of  course,  expected  that  you  or 
some  other  strong  man  would  only  come  up  and  lean,  as 
did  Samson,  against  the  main  pillar  of  my  castle,  and 
down  would  come  the  whole  structure."  Then  the  Prof, 
said,  "  JVo,  no,  Mr.  Smith,  the  fact  of  its  being  outside  of 
books  is  the  best  part  of  the  article  on  the  tides. 

u  But  few  writers  are  bold  enough  to  announce  a  fact, 
and  make  it  plain  to  the  common  mind,  as  you  have  done. 
Had  you  found  it  in  a  book  and  copied  it,  then  it  would 
not  have  been  yours.  But  now  you  stand  up  here  on  a 
high  point  of  the  world's  history,  and  that  point  has  been 
marched  around  and  around,  in  all  the  centuries,  passed 
by  the  men  of  science,  and  none  have  found  that  import- 
ant spot.  You,  Mr.  Smith,  are  the  first  man  to  climb  up 


Preface.  v 

to  that  high  and  elevated  spot,  to  look  and  see  what  you 
have  seen. 

"  And  for  what  3^011  have  written  you  will  stand  there 
forever.  Your  name  will  be  handed  down  along  the  future 
ages  as  a  discoverer  of  that  physical  force  called  repul- 
sion." 

We  thanked  him  for  his  unexpected  prophesy,  and  then 
remarked  to  him  that  we  were  at  work  upon  another  im- 
portant problem.  "  Why, what  is  that?"  he  asked.  "  What 
is  the  source  of  the  magnetic  current,  so-called  ?"  At  this 
point  we  were  called  to  lunch.  The  Professor  remarked 
at  that  announcement :  "  We  have  food  that  the  world 
knows  not  of."  !' Yes,  we  said  ;  and  can  you  render  us 
some  assistance  in  our  researches  for  the  source  of  the 
magnetic  current  ?  "  "  No,  Mr.  Smith  ;  I  want  you  to  go 
home  with  me  when  this  Association  closes."  We  did  not 
accompany  him  home,  so  our  conversation  ended  for  that 
time.  We  met  occasionally,  but  only  for  a  short  time, 
but  his  kindly  encouragement  was  always  remembered 
by  the  writer. 

PROFESSOR    J.    A.  BENTON. 

Professor  Benton  arrived  in  San  Francisco,  Cal.,  the 
same  day  we  did,  and  our  acquaintance  has  been  long, 
and  our  fellowship  has  strengthened  as  the  years  went  by. 
He  adopted  our  new  discovery  in  science.  And  when  we 
had  written  a  synopsis  of  this  book  on  Astronomy,  we 
remarked  to  him  :  kt  It's  rather  short  to  be  understood." 

He  replied :  "Your  proof  is  enough,  without  any  more 


vi  Preface. 

evidence  of  the  facts  of  your  discovery  ^  a  <  repuhfoe 
force  found  in  all  nature.'"  He  was  present  at  the  As- 
sociation when  Professor  Norton  lectured. 

He,  taught  our  "Physical  View"  in  the  Theological 
Seminary  in  Oakland,  Cal.  He  sent  his  students  to  me 
for  my  publication  on  "Celestial  Dynamics"  While  at 
Mount  Hamilton  he  came  to  see  me,  and  I  handed  him 
some  of  my  work  on  our  new  discovery  to  read :  he  read 
it.  Then  again  we  remarked  that  it  was  rather  short  to 
be  understood.  He  then  said  :  "  Mr.  Smith,  your  proof 
is  enough,  without  anything  further  as  proof  of  your 
discovery  of  the  repulsive  forces  in  astronomy,  and  your 
application  of  the  science  of  magnetism  to  the  science  of 
astronomy  is  of  great  importance  to  that  science,  as  Pro- 
fessor Norton  has  taught  us  in  his  lectures." 

PROFESSOR    LE    CONTE. 

We  met  Prof.  Le  Conte  at  the  State  University  some 
time  after  the  publication  of  our  "  Celestial  Dynamics," 
and  we  delivered  a  copy  for  him  to  read.  This  was  in 
the  year  of  1873  or  1874. 

And  in  1884  we  were  on  a  visit  to  Mt.  Hamilton,  to  test 
some  of  the  facts  of  our  findings.  Here  we  again  met 
Prof.  Le  Conte  at  the  "  Smith  Creek  Hotel,"  near  the 
Lick  Observatory.  And  we  took  this  opportunity  to  send 
the  Prof,  samples  of  our  writing  by  a  young  man  who 
was  a  good  reader,  and  I  requested  him  to  read  the  paper 
to  the  Prof.,  and  obtain  his  opinion  on  the  subject. 


4^  *       *FX    ***'£& 

Preface.       N^^t^rSja^ 

"^^r--— sc-s^ 

The  young  man  found  the  Prof,  at  leisure,  and  'asked  the 
privilege  of  reading  to  him  some  of  the  writings  of  Win. 
W.  Smith,  of  Antioch,  Cal.  The  Professor  gave  his  con- 
sent, and  the  young  man  read  them.  At  the  close  he 
asked  the  Prof.,  "  What  do  you  think  about  it  ?  " 

Prof.  Le  Conte  replied,  "  It  is  all  new  to  me.  I  am  like 
a  boy  who,  at  the  first  sight  of  his  a  b  c's,  says,  '  I  do  n  't 
know  anything  about  them.'  I  only  know  that  Mr.  Smith 
wrote  something  on  the  tides  years  ago.  But  I  want  to 
see  him  before  he  goes  away." 

At  that  time  he  was  waiting  upon  an  invalid  wife,  so 
I  gent  up  to  him  a  manuscript  of  some  length  that  I  had 
with  me,  by  the  young  man  who  had  previously  read  the 
synopsis  of  our  findings,  asking  him  if  he  would  please 
take  this  more  elaborate  document  up  to  Prof.  Le  Conte, 
and  ask  him  to  read  it  at  his  leisure,  only  taking  care  that 
I  should  obtain  it  ere  1  left  for  Antioch.  The  Prof,  re- 
ceived the  papers,  and  informed  us  that  his  wife  was 
much  better. 

Fully  a  week  had  elapsed  ere  I  met  Prof.  Le  Conte 
again,  and  then,  by  invitation  on  his  part,  to  meet  him  in 
the  parlors  of  the  "  Smith  Creek  Hotel,"  where  he  was 
staying.  Our  greetings  were  very  cordial.  He  imme- 
•diately  referred  to  the  manuscript  I  had  sent  him  to  read, 
saying,  "  Mr.  Smith,  I  have  carefully  perused  your  manu- 
script over  and  over  again,  and  the  more  I  read  the  bet- 
ter understanding  I  have  of  the  subject  :  and  now,  as  you 
are  in  the  direct  line  of  truth,  I  say,  go  on  and  on,  and  if 


viii  Preface. 

I  can  in  tiny  way  assist  you  in  my  power,  I  shall  most 
gladly  do  so. 

"  And  further,  I  see  that  you  are  applying  a  new  force 
to  the  science  of  astronomy,  and  you  must  lead  in  it ;  for 
we  are  all  of  us  like  a  crowd  of  boys  and  girls  in  their 
first  alphabetical  lesson,  in  this,  your  new  application  of 
the  electro-magnetic  force  to  celestial  mechanics.  !So  you 
must  simplify  it,  and  make  it  so  plain  that  all  will  know 
what  you  are  now  doing. 

"  For  magnetism,  as  it  is  applied  to  astronomy,  is  not 
known.  So  you  must  repeat  it  over  and  over,  ever  bear- 
ing in  mind  that  the  truth  will  grow,  if  you  teach  and 
simplify  it  as  you  go,  for  you  have  the  world  for  your  pu- 
pils and  students." 

We  expressed  our  sincere  thanks  for  his  kind,  as  well 
as  timely  advice.  And  it  has  proven  a  great  source  of 
advantage  to  us  in  many  ways  since  then  ;  and  we  would 
remark  especially,  in  breaking  open  many  of  the  mysteries 
in  astronomy. 

As  will  be  seen  in  the  opening  of  the  seven  mysteries, 
which  can  be  found  in  the  fourth  chapter  of  this  look. 


CONTENTS. 

OF    PREFACE. 

PAGE 

Opinion  of  Prof.  Norton  on  the  New  Repulsive  Force  •  i 
"  The  nations  have  looked  for  the  High  Ground  Spot,  but 
found  it  not.  You,  Mr.  Smith,  are  the  first  man  there, 
and  there  you  will  stay,— for  your  name  will  go  down 
to  Posterity  as  the  Discoverer  of  a  Repulsive  Force 
found  in  all  Nature." 

Opinion  of  Prof.  Benton v 

"  Your  proof  is  sufficient,  Mr.  Smith." 

Opinion  of  Prof.  LeConte vi 

"It  is  all  new,  Mr.  Smith,  we  are  all  boys  and  girls.  You 
have  the  whole  world  for  your  class.  Teach  it  over 
and  over  and  over, — for  it  is  all  new."  And  he  says, 
"Repeat  it  over  and  over,  Mr.  Smith." 

CHAPTER  I. 

A  Perpetual  Motion 1 

The  Sun  a  Celestial  Engine.  A  balance  of  the  Sun  seen 
South,  in  the  Magellan  Clouds. 

The  Sun  Rotates  Once  in  25  Days 2 

Notes  of  Voyages.  The  Barometer  a  Witness.  An  Im- 
portant Month. 

Our  First  Voyage  on  the  Sea 3 

Wanted  to  Know  the  Source  of  Magnetic  Force.  Not 
Found,  says  Mr.  Gage,  of  Boston.  A  Seventy  Years' 
Search  for. 

Beneath  the  Tropic  of  Cancer 4 

Signs  by  Barometer  on  Earth's  Equator.  Study  of  the  New 
Southern  Constellations  on  the  Brazilian  Coast. 


x  Contents. 

PAGE 

Observations  on  the  Sea  and  Land o 

Other  Observers  by  Barometer.     The  Theory  of  Attraction 
Killed  by  Barometers. 

The  Magellan  Clouds  South  of  Cape  Horn 6 

An  Astronomical   Wonder.     Light.     Earth.     Milky  Way. 

On  the  Coast  of  the  Tropic  of  Capricorn 7 

The  Effect  of  the  Barometer.     Magnetic  Storms. 

Magnetic  Equator  Found 

And  it  is  22  to  25  Degrees  South.     Varied   Intensity  of 

Magnetic  Force. 
Ezekiel  1st  and  2nd  Chapters.— These  two  Visions 

are  Astronomical 

The  Angel's  Two  Visits  to  Ezekiel.     Four  First  and  Four  m 
Second,  making  Eight. 

Design  of  the  Spirit .      10 

Ezekiel  calls  them  Wheels. 
A  Wheel  in  the  Midst  of  a  Wheel,  and  finally  One 

Wheel 11 

The  Spirit's  Design  in  the  Second  Vision 12 

Eight  Spheres  in  our  Solar  System. 

CHAPTER  II. 

Our  Second  Vogage  at  Sea 13 

The  Question  of  the  Hour.     On  the  U.  S.  Flag  Ship  Lan- 
caster. 

Cape  St.  Lucas  on  the  Tropic  of  Cancer 14 

Up  the  Gulf  of  California.     A  Question  Solved. 
Answered  by  the  Writer,   to    solve   Two   Scientific 

Questions 15 

Work  on  the  Lancaster , 16 

A  Brave  Man  Refused  to  Drink IT 

The  Writer  Appointed  Ship  Yeoman.     Ship  and  Instru- 
ments in  My  Charge. 


Contents.  xi 

PAGE 

An  Assistant  as  Clerk 18 

Why  is  the  Pacific  so  High  ?     Answered. 
A  War  Cloud  Dispersed 19 

Magnetic  Tides  by  Barometer.     In  Acapulco  Harbor. 

The  Northwest  Coast 20 

Four  Lessons  Learned.     Discharge  at  Panama  for  the  Navy 
Yard. 

CHAPTER  III. 

The  Four  Theories  of  the  Ultimate  Force 21-27 

First. — By  Newton.     Newton's  Laws  Questionable.     Pro- 
fessor Kavenaugh  on  Newton. 
Second. — By   Decartes,    or   the    French  Theory.     Ethical 

Whirlpools.     Photography  Noted.     The  Human  Mind 

Not  to  be  Limited. 
Third. — Theory  of  the  Ultimate  Force,  by  Judge  Richards 

of  New  York.   Richards  and  Kavenaugh.    Our  Opinion 

of  Electricity. 
Fourth.  —Theory  by  Wm.  W.  Smith  of  Antioch,  Gal.     First, 

Second  and  Third  Lessons,  College  in   New  Bedford, 

Mass. 

Sailed  for  Brazil 28 

Tropic  of  Capricorn. 
Magnetic  Forces  on  the  Ocean 29 

Tides  being  Magnetic  or  Instantaneous. 
The  Importance  of  the  Subject 30 

The  Sun  the  Source  of  Magnetic  Force. 
Recreations  in  Astronomy 31-32 

A  Lost  Link.     A ''Lost  Link  Found."     It  is  "Magnetic 
Repulsion." 

Certain    Conditions,    Magnetic    Attraction  and  Re- 
pulsion        33 

A  Name  Wanted  by  Us 34 

Polar  Eccentricities.     Why  1     Held  so  by  the  Sun. 


xii  Contents. 

PAGE. 

New  in  Astronomy 35 

Experts  on  the  Seas.     To  Find  the  Magnetic  Equator,  etc. 
Experts  after  the  Meridian  of  Power 36 

Experts  Disappointed  Not  to  Find  it. 
Dr.  Gilbert's  Theory  Questioned 37 

Where  is  the  Source  if  not  in  the  Earth  ? 
Why  so  much  Found  in  the  Loadstone 38 

Conclusions.     Newton  and  Smith,  Side  by  Side. 
Helps  and  References.     Experts,  etc 3(J 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Seven  Seals  Opened,  or  Seven  Mysteries  Revealed. 40-61 
The  Zodiacal  Light  and  Milky  Way.  The  North  Light. 
Comets  Four  Mysteries.  The  Open  Field.  A  Second 
Kind  of  Comet  Mystery.  The  Source  of  the  Tides. 
Are  Magnetic  Tides  Attractive  1  Professor  Norton  on 
Smith  and  Mystery.  The  Source  of  the  Magnetic 
Current.  Magnetic  Power  is  Sun  Power.  Proof  by 
many  Witnesses.  Proof  by  Facts.  Electricity.  Beck 
and  others  on  Electricity,  resides  on  Outside  Surface. 
Origin  Sought  for.  The  Atmosphere  Carries  Electric- 
ity. Instrument  Wanted.  The  Instrument  Proved. 
Barometer  Findings.  Conclusion.  Connection  be- 
tween Electricity  and  Magnetism.  Electricity  is  the 
Manifestation  of  Magnetic  Force. 

CHAPTER   V. 

The  Seasons  and  Rain-Falls 62-71 

Signs  and  Seasons.  The  Firmament.  Rain  in  Spots. 
Venus  and  Earth.  Mars.  Jupiter  Year.  Mars  the 
God  of  War.  Sun  Spots,  etc. 

CHAPTER    VI. 

The  Planets  and  Things  Seen 71-79 

Dr.  Herschel  on  the  Sun.  Magnetic  Rules.  Satellite  of 
the  Planets  The  Rings  of  Saturn.  Climate  of  Saturn. 
Uranus.  Neptune. 


Contents.  xiii 

PAOK 

The  Sun  as  a  Center 80-85 

The  Zodiac  or  Path  of  the  Sun.  Twelve  Signs  of  the  Zodiac. 
The  Wisdom  of  Joseph  and  Moses.  Names  of  the  Con- 
stellations in  the  Path  of  the  Sun. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Modern    Astronomers  or  New    England    Almanac 

Makers 85-89 

Dudley  Levitt,  Dr.  Franklin,  Dr.  Nathan  Ames,  Weather 
Wise  Thomas  and  Dudley  Levitt.  Communication 
from  Leavitt's  Daughter. 

Ancient  Historic  Astronomers , 90 

Huglyin  had  a  Theory  of  Light. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Do  the  Planets  Affect  the  Earth  ? 91-96 

Awful  Disasters.     A  Texas  Hurricane. 

CHAPTER  IX. 

The  Language  of  the  Stars 97-100 

Happy  David.  David  Excels  in  Winning  Ways.  David 
and  Jonathan.  David's  Opportunities.  David's  In\  it- 
ing  Songs.  The  First  Day  on  the  Plains  of  Judeah. 
Jonathan's  Good  Things  Shared  by  David.  The  Re- 
past. David  Saw  Aries  Far  Off.  David's  Bright  Vis- 
ion. David  Sang  and  Composed.  Jonathan  Awakes. 
Read  the  Nineteenth  Psalm  as  Composed  by  David. 
How  Glorious. 

New  Heaven  and  New  Earth 101-103 

Is  Heaven  a  Place,  With  a  Physical  Geography  ?  Yes,  Heaven 
is  a  Place.  Heaven  is  where  Peace  is  Found,  where  God 
and  Archangels  are.  What  Is  Gog  and  Magog  ?  In  the 
Midst  of  War  a  Voice  Is  Heard.  A  Triple  Plea  to  the 
Church  Home  and  Nature's  Laws.  Youthful  Bride. 


2  Magnetic  Astronomy 

itating  weight  as  at  the  north  and  positive  end  of  this 
"  balance  wheel "  cf  the  sun's  mighty  axis. 

This  wheel  rotates  by  the  positive  and  negative  electro- 
magnetic forces  once  in  25  days. 

HOW    IT   WAS    FOUND. 

We  found  this  power  by  three  important  sea  voyages, 
as  will  appear  in  the  advanced  sheets  of  this  book, — the 
first  from  Boston  to  San  Francisco,  the  second  to  Puget 
Sound,  and  Victoria,  British  Columbia,— and  by  a  strict 
observation  of  the  tides  on  the  North-wesf  Coast  on  the 
land  and  the  barometer  ;  the  third  by  a  six  months'  voy- 
age in  the  employ  of  the  United  States  Navy,  between 
San  Francisco  and  Panama. 

THE    BAROMETER. 

The  barometer  came  to  our  assistance,  though  silent, 
but  like  a  "  still,  small  voice.'*  Yet,  when  its  indications 
were  written,  and  all  its  u  ups  and  downs''  collected  and 
brought  to  bear  on  the  subject,  it  answered  the  purposes  of 
three  of  the  best  of  witnesses,  for  its  language  could  not 
be  disputed  as  to  the  moon's  repulsive  power. 

OBSERVATIONS    SOUTH. 

Our  stay  at  or  near  the  Tropics  of  Capricorn  was  an 
important  month  for  us,  for  we  were  —  as  it  were  —  at 
home  on  a  vessel  in  which  we  confided  and  on  which  we 
lived  with  our  families,  and  nothing  to  perplex  or  divert 
the  mind  from  that  one  subject  and  study  —  the  philoso- 


Of  the  Bible.  3 

phy  of  the  tides.  My  brother  Rev.  J.  II.  Smith,  and 
family,  and  the  writer,  were  wonderfully  struck  with  the 
simplicities  of  the  moon  as  a  distributer  of  the  oceanic 
waters  and  the  electro-magnetic  forces. 

OUR  FIRST  SEA  VOYAGE. 

NEW    DISCOVERY    IN   MAGNETISM. 

I  see  by  one  of  our  school  books,  written  in  Boston  by 
Alfred  P.  Gage,  in  which  he  says  :  "  The  cause  of  the 
earth's  magnetism  is  not  known."  In  Johnston's  "  Natural 
Philosophy,"  he  says  :  "  Various  theories  have  at  differ- 
ent times  been  proposed  to  account  for  the  phenomena  of 
magnetism,  but  with  little  success."  Pages  832-532. 

Pages  369-577,  Johnston's  "  Natural  Philosophy." 

ORIGIN    OP    ATMOSPHERIC    ELECTRICITY. 

"  It  has  not  yet  been  satisfactorily  determined  by  what 
means  the  electricity  of  the  atmosphere  is  developed." 

A    SEVENTY-FIVE    YEARS'    SEARCH. 

"  Eureka." 

Between  Mount  Washington,  N.  H.,  and  Mount  Hamil- 
ton, by  observations  on  the  land,  and  careful  observations 
on  the  seas,  from  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  on  the  Atlantic,  to 
the  State  of  Washington,  on  the  Pacific, —  all  this  ground 
has  been  travelled  o'er,  in  search  of  the  source  of  the 
tides  and  the  source  of  the  magnetic  currents  so  called. 


4  Magnetic  Astronomy 

The  ship's  instruments  were  our  companions  early  and 
late,  especially  the  barometer.  At  12  o'clock,  while  be- 
neath Tropic  of  Cancer,  the  moon  came  directly  in  the 
zenith.  At  these  times  of  the  voyage  we  employed  our 
time  faithfully,  to  learn  whether  any  marked  disturb- 
ances were  made  apparent  on  the  barometer.  It  is  wor- 
thy of  note  that  about  the  time  the  moon  was  in  the  ze- 
nith, the  barometer  showed  signs  of  a  magnetic  pressure, 
of  greater  or  less  power  on  that  instrument. 

This  was  while  the  sun  was  south  of  the  earth's  equator ; 
and  as  we  sailed  directly  beneath  the  sun's  centrifugal 
force,  the  barometer  gave  signs  of  more  pressure  than 
at  any  other  time.  Both  sun  and  moon  showed  a  marked 
pressure  on  the  seas  beneath  Tropic  of  Cancer. 

We  turn  to  our  observations  on  the  Atlantic. 

It  had  got  to  be  hot  weather  at  this  point  in  one  voy- 
age, on  the  Seas  of  Earth  as  a  planet,  so  we  often  sat  up 
nights  to  study  the  new  constellations  that  had  come  into 
view  by  our  sailing  south. 

The  North  Polar  Star  had  gone  down  behind  us,  while 
the  Southern  Cross  was  daily  rising,  as  we  approached  the 
Brazilian  coast  of  South  America.  Our  captain  had  been 
talking  of  entering  the  port  of  Rio  Janeiro.  But  a  gale 
overtook  us,  and  carried  us  past  that  port  to  the  entrance 
of  the  Bay  of  St.  Catherines,  which  is  about  25  deg.  south  of 
the  earth's  equator,  and  we  had  bespoken  this  spot  as  one 
of  the  best  places  south  of  the  equator  for  a  continuance 
of  our  observations  of  the  barometer. 


Of  tke  Bible.  5 

OBSERVATION  ON  THE  SEA  AT  ST.  CATHERINES. 

First. — That  there  is  the  same  manner  to  the  tide  south 
of  the  equator  as  there  is  on  the  north. 

Second. — That  the  time  of  tide  is  at  the  same  time  both 
south  and  north  of  the  equator. 

Third. — That  beneath  the  moon's  nadir  it  is  low  tide 
all  the  time,  as  the  earth  rotates  beneath  the  moon's  mag- 
netic power. 

OTHER  OBSERVATIONS  BY  BAROMETERS. 

Observations  made  on  board  ships,  and  at  U.  S.  Sta- 
tions, and  in  Great  Britain,  prove  our  theory  of  the  tides 
correct. 

Professor  Robert  Grant,  in  his  work  upon  astronomy, 
has  a  case  in  point :  that  Captain  La  Faver,  while  sta- 
tioned upon  the  Island  of  St.  Helena,  observed  that  the 
barometer  and  the  tides  were  depressed  when  the  island 
was  beneath  the  nadir  of  the  moon. 

"  And  also  that  the  time  of  high  water  is  such,  by  ob- 
servation, that  all  confidence  is  lost  in  the  present  theory 
of  attraction." 

We  find  by  cousulting  the  log  books  of  Captain  Kustel, 
in  sailing  for  several  years  from  San  Francisco  to  Tahiti, 
his  barometer  indicated  an  atmospheric  pressure  always 
at  full  moon  by  his  barometer. 

And  we  learn  from  Captain  Kustel,  and  other  sailing 
masters,  that  the  tides  near  the  equator  are  very  small. 

One  of  the  best  evidences  to  prove  the  fact  of  repul- 


6  Magnetic  Astronomy 

sion  are  the  observations  at  the  U.  S.  Stations,  and  those 
of  Mr.  Thomas  Tennent  in  San  Francisco,  which  are  that 
when  the  moon  is  north  the  tides  are  low,  and  when  the 
moon  is  south  the  tides  are  high.  All  can  see  this  de- 
pression of  the  tides,  when  the  moon  is  high  in  the 
north,  and  also  her  south  position  after  the  change  forces 
the  tides  north  again, — proving  the  fact  of  repulsion. 

THE    MAGELLAN    CLOUDS. 

Captain  Verana,  officers,  and  fellow  passengers,  all  ad- 
mitted that  the  Magellan  Clouds  have  been  the  chief 
wonder  of  this  northwest  coast,  "  and  of  a  truth  they  are 
an  astronomical  wonder,^  and  they  have  been  from  the 
days  when  Captain  Magellan  first  discovered  them. 

To  us  they  belong  to  the  Nebular  System.  There  being 
two  of  them  make  them  more  interesting ;  and  the  fact 
that  they  belong  not  only  to  the  Nebular,  but  also  to  the 
Binary  System,  so  called  in  astronomy. 

With  our  present  view  of  light  and  heat,  and  the  fact 
that  the  earth  has  its  magnetic  circle  of  light,  called  in 
astronomy  the  "  Milky  Way,"  I  am  of  the  opinion  that 
those  two  clouds,  or  lights,  are  nothing  more  or  less  than 
the  light  similar  to  that  of  the  earth's  "  Milky  Way," 
which  is  a  secondary  thought  about  the  planets  that  light 
and  heat  are  not  in  the  sun. 

The  planets  Mercury,  Venus,  Earth,  and  Mars  are 
located  not  far  from  one  of  the  sun's  poles,  while  the 
Magellan  Clouds  are  located  in  what  we  might  term  the 
Sun's  South  Pole." 


Of  the  Bible.  1 

EQUIPOISE    OF   THE    SUN. 

This  location  of  polar  planets  is  new  in  astronomy,  and 
is  to  us  a  matter  of  positive  fact,  from  observation  and 
the  observations  of  others. 

And  the  fact  that  a  well  and  equal  balanced  machine  is 
important  for  its  perpetuity.  In  passing  along  the  North- 
west Coast,  to  the  Tropics  of  Capricorn,  to  the  earth's 
equator,  and  to  the  Tropic  of  Cancer,  and  then  to  San 
Francisco,  Calif.,  observations  were  kept  up  of  the  effects 
of  the  moon  on  the  barometer,  and  we  find  that  it  is  a 
repulsive  force,  and  not  an  attractive  force. 

And  this  was  one  conviction  on  it,  that  if  the  moon  in 
passing  over  us,  and  if  it  would  disturb  the  small  two-inch 
ball  of  mercury,  then  what  would  it  be  its  effect  upon  the 
open  Pacific  Ocean  ?  We  answer,  Much  indeed ;  and  no 
wonder  that  the  tides  flow.  But  not  by  attraction,  as 
Decaits  has  it ;  no,  no,  but  by  repulsion. 

MAGNETIC    STORMS. 

Keeping  up  my  observations  for  many  years  past  since 
our  first  observation,  we  find  that  there  are  magnetic 
storms,  as  well  as  wind  and  rain  storms. 

Those  magnetic  storms  have  been  encountered  by  all 
the  sailors  and  mariners  from  Noah  to  Columbus,  to  Queen 
Elizabeth's  Dr.  Wm.  B.  Gilbert,  about  1700,  and  from 
Queen  Elizabeth  to  Queen  Victoria,  and  down  to  1885, 
they  have  come  and  gone,  east,  west,  north  and  south. 
And  why  these  storms?  We  answer,  that  these  storms 


8  Magnetic  Astronomy 

of  magnetic  intensity  occur  as  do  the  large  tides,  the 
terrific  rain  storms,  the  intensity  of  cold  and  heat.  They 
are  all,  as  well  as  the  magnetic  intensity  and  power,  and 
derived  from  the  sun,  as  the  center,  and  from  the  con- 
junctions of  the  planets  that  pass  each  other  in  their 
revolutions  around  the  sun's  pole. 

So  we  have  these  masters :  Dr.  Wm.  B.  Gilbert,  Muyne, 
Guiott,  Humboldt,  Lafrey,  Sir  John  Ross,  Sabina.  And 
the  observation  of  the  writer  on  the  sea  and  on  the  land. 
All  go  to  prove  the  Sun  to  be  the  source  of  the  magnetic 
power,  instead  of  being  in  the  earth,  as  taught  by  Dr. 
Gilbert,  in  the  year  1700. 

MAGNETIC    EQUATOR. 

The  magnetic  equator  is  found  to  be  22  deg.  to  25  deg. 
south  of  the  earth's  equator.  Observations  made  by 
Hansteen  in  1838  and  1839,  and  by  Lafrey  as  late  as 
1844,  each  spending  ten  years. 

Their  observations,  and  those  of  Sir  John  Ross  in  six 
years'  observations,  all  go  to  prove  that  the  magnetic 
equator  is  south  of  the  earth's  equator  22£  degrees. 

VARIED    INTENSITY. 

And  the  English  writers  say  that  according  to  Sahina, 
the  intensity  of  the  earth's  magnetism,  like  the  variations 
of  the  dip,  is  found  to  suffer  periodical  changes.  And 
Sabina  continues  that,  "  Besides  these  regular  variations 
of  the  earth,  other  irregular  variations  have  been  observed. 
These  have  been  termed  magnetic  storms. 


Of  the  Bible.  9 

<(  Ezekiel  1st  and  2nd  Chapters" 

These  two  chapters  are  an  astronomical  vision.  The 
first  chapter  gives  to  us  what  u  Ezekiel "  saw,  as  near  as 
he  could  then  describe  it.  But  he  failed  to  give  a  full 
account  or  a  full  description  of  the  glory  and  brightness 
of  the  effulgence  of  "  God's  glory.'*  So  the  angel  makes 
another  call  upon  him,  which  will  be  seen  in  "  Ezekiel,  10 
Chap."  In  the  first  chapter  he  uses  about  one  hundred 
words  in  descriptive  language,  to  give  to  us  his  account  of 
what  he  saw  in  his  vision  of  the  four  cherubs. 

And  by  a  careful  comparison  of  them  with  our  draw- 
ings of  the  "Solar  System,"  seventy-five  per  cent  of  his 
words  will  apply  to  our  views  or  conception  of  the  Sun, 
and  the  four  first  planets  or  spheres,  i.  e.,  Mercury,  Venus, 
Earth  and  Mars.  But  it  appears  that  Ezekiel  had  in 
some  measure  failed  to  describe  some  of  the  "  Glory  of 
God  "  in  the  Sun  or  the  fiery  aspect  of  Mars,  as  one  of 
the  cherubs  in  his  vision.  So  the  angel  comes  to  him 
the  second  time. 

In  this  second  vision  Ezekiel  has  about  the  same 
things  shown,  in  which  are  also  the  burning  coals  of  fire 
as  it  appeared  to  him.  Also  the  same  wheels  within  a 
wheel.  u  Four  Cherubs." 

These  four  cherubs  in  miniature  form  passed  before  his 
mind.  But  the  Sun  in  his  glory  had  been  so  common  a 
thing  to  the  Seer's  mind  that  it  was  left  for  the  closing 
scene  of  his  frightful  vision.  But  the  four  cherubs  or  the 


10  Magnetic  Astronomy 

four  living  creatures,  also  the  four  wheels  within  a  wheel 
as  they  appear  to  him,  were  peculiar  in  themselves. 

These  two  cheaters  of  Ezekiel  are  among  the  mysteries 
of  the  sights  and  sayings  of  the  Holy  Prophets.  But  it  is 
our  opinion  that  the  design  of  the  Spirit  was  to  show 
Ezekiel  a  full  and  grand  panoramic  view  of  God's  crea- 
tive power  and  glory,  as  seen  in  the  Sun  and  its  system  of 
spheres. 

And  it  would  appear  that  in  spirit  he  was  taken  through 
and  over  what  he  called  the  circles  that  appear  to  him  ta 
be  "  Dreadful  in  Height." 

But  the  human  side  of  the  slave  (as  he  was  in  Egypt) 
breaks  down  at  the  sight  of  these  mighty  spheres  in  their 
effulgence.  Coming  led  with  the  orb  of  day,  and  the  first 
four  nearest  planets  to  the  sun,  i.  e.,  Mercury,  Venus,. 
Earth  and  Mars.  But  Ezekiel  calls  them  live  creatures, 
with  wheels  full  of  eyes,  and  all  under  the  appellation  of 
cherubims. 

At  that  time  when  Ezekiel  wrote,  it  is  supposed  they 
had  no  knowledge  of  the  science  of  "  electro-magnetic 
power,  or  its  application  to  terrestial  mechanics."  But 
here  we  apply  that  power  to  the  "  Celestial  Glories  of 
God,''  which  he  saw  in  his  vision.  When  he,  upon  his 
face,  as  will  be  seen  in  Ezekiel,  1st  Chap.,  28th  verse. 
But  we  note  still  further;  Ezekiel,  10th  Chap.,  10th 
verse. 

And  as  for  the  appearance,  they  four  had  one  likeness,. 


Of  the  Bible.  11 

"as  if  a  wheel  had  been  in  the  midst  of  a  wheel  ";  and  i» 
the  13th  verse  he  says:  "  As  for  the  wheels,  it  was  cried 
unto  them  in  my  hearing,  Oh  wheel." 

This  we  interpret  to  mean  that  the  'four  wheels,  the 
four  cherubs,  and  all  concerned  in  the  cherubims,  are 
addressed  by  the  Spirit. 

The  Spirit  addressed  the  four  under  the  appellation  of 
"one  wheel,"  not  four,  nor  four  cherubs  or  cherubims, 
as  Ezekiel  calls  them.  No,  not  so.  For  the  spirit  had 
the  mind  of  the  seer  out  on  that  dreadful  circle  where  he 
saw  one  wheel,  i.  e.}  the  centripetal  and  centrifugal  forces 
of  the  solar  system,  as  he  looked  from  what  appeared  to  be 
the  static  atmosphere  of  the  mighty  Sun. 

"  And  as  for  the  wheels,''  it  was  cried  in  my  hearing, 
"  Oh  wheel !  "  and  we  interpret  this  to  be  on  the  solar 
system  ;  or  oh,  what  a  mighty  sheen  is  this  one  wheel, 
the  sun  and  these  cherubs  or  spheres. 

There  are  eight  spheres  (or  cherubs,  as  the  prophet  calls 
them)  in  our  Solar  System.  But  Ezekiel,  in  his  excited 
state,  failed  to  count  them  all. 

As  is  noticed  in  the  first  account ;  Ezekiel  10th  Chap. 
And  in  the  second  trance  state  the  spirit  may  have  taken 
him  out  "to  Jupiter,"  and  then  shown  him  the  four 
outer  spheres  this  last  time. 

For  we  find  it  to  be  over  a  year  since  his  first  and  sec- 
ond one.  In  the  first  the  prophet  saw  from  the  ground 
in  a  whirlwind.  In  his  second  he  says :  "  I  looked,  and  be- 


12  Magnetic  Astronomy 

hold  in  the  firmament  above  the  heads  of  the  cherubim." 
This  above  the  first  would  show  that  the  last  four  cherubs 
were  above  the  first  four. 

And  also  that  the  spirit  designed  to  show  a  line  of  dis- 
tinction between  the  first  four  and  the  second  four  cher- 
ubs. But  the  translators  may  have  failed  to  make  a  line 
of  distinction  between  the  first  four  and  the  last  four, 
("Cherubs  or  Cherubims,)"  or  as  we  would  call  them, 
"globes  or  spheres."  The  apparent  wheels  are  the 
planetary  atmosphere. 

Now  if  our  conception  is  right,  we  hare  the  eight 
spheres  complete  in  our  Solar  System. 


CHAPTER  II. 
OUR  SECOND  VOYAGE  AT  SEA. 

July,  1862.  The  question  of  the  hour  was,  What  is 
the  source  of  the  magnetic  current,  and  what  is  the  cause 
of  the  ebb  and  flow  of  the  tides  ? 

This  question  we  were  in  hopes  to  answer  by  our  sec- 
ond voyage.  Our  second  voyage  was  in  February,  1862, 
in  the  midst  of  our  Civil  War,  and  when  men  were  in 
great  demand,  especially  in  California.  The  ship  of  war 
of  the  U.  S.  navy,  Lancaster,  was  lying  oft'  San  Fran- 
cisco wharf,  for  a  new  supply  of  men  for  the  cruise  along 
the  Northwest  Coast. 

We,  to  recruit  our  finances,  had  to  go  to  the  city  of  San 
Francisco  to  work,  building  a  house  at  $1.00  a  day.  But 
there  was  something  forbid  us  in  the  thought  of  work, 
save  in  the  United  States  employment  to  "save  the 
Union."  And  the  writer  found  that  by  enlisting  under 
the  United  States  flag  he  could  do  two  or  three  things  to 
help  preserve  his  native  country,  and  at  the  same  time 
acquaint  himself  with  the  better  understanding  of  the 
tides  and  other  points  in  his  scientific  pursuits,  and  leave 
a  better  fighting  man  in  the  Federal  cause. 

13 


14  Magnetic  Astronomy 

So  I  got  a  boatman  to  take  me  off  to  the  ship  Lancas- 
ter, then  with  her  provisions  and  outfit  all  aboard.  And 
the  proud  Lancaster  sailed  that  very  evening  for  the  south 
ports  of  Mexico. 

We  first  made  Cape  St.  Lucas,  that  is  situated  at  its 
center  point  beneath  the  Tropic  of  Cancer.  The  Sun  at 
the  time,  July  6,  1862,  was  near  the  meridian,  and  the 
Moon  at  its  full  was  nearly  direct  overhead  at  Cape  St. 
Lucas. 

Or,  we  should  say,  that  when  the  moon  was  at  the 
meridian,  it  was  low  tide. 

But  when  the  moon  had  passed  on  west,  then  the  react- 
ing tides  would  be  large  tides. 

And  when  the  moon  fell  off,  as  she  does  each  month  to 
Capricorn,  then  the  lunar  tide  would  be  the  large  tide. 

As  we  have  said,  the  tides  were  small  at  Cape  St. 
Lucas,  but  increased  to  quite  a  large  tide  at  Guaymas, 
Mexico. 

The  sea  thus  rushing  up  the  Gulf  of  California  from 
the  tropic  was  very  warm  at  Guaymas,  but  by  ascending 
•up  to  the  mouth  of  the  Colorado  River  the  water  became 
fresh  and  colder. 

A    QUESTION. 

When  the  officers  saw  and  understood  the  writer's 
trade  and  calling,  the  question  was  asked  the  writer  by 
the  officers :  "  Mr.  Smith,  why  did  you  ship  on  board 
the  Lancaster  ?  " 


Of  the  Bible.  15 

ANSWER. 

"  To  serve  my  country  first  of  all,  and  to  advance  my 
knowledge  in  the  Science  of  Astronomy,  Navigation  and 
the  best  methods  for  manning  and  equipping  a  ship,  and 
also  for  equipping  an  army  for  the  defense  of  the  U. 
S.  A.  Second:  To  solve  two  scientific  questions, —  the 
Sources  of  the  Tides  and  the  Magnetic  Current. 

And  when  the  officers  understood  the  writer's  object 
for  enlisting,  they  gave  him  every  act  of  civility  he  de- 
sired, and  that  the  ship  could  afford, —  even  Liberty  on 
Shore,  etc.  The  Lieutenant  gave  me  an  introduction  to 
the  Commodore,  Captain  and  the  Paymaster,  the  doctors 
and  heads  of  all  departments. 

When  it  was  ascertained  that  the  writer  was  an  archi- 
tect and  a  practiced  "  ship  joiner." 

Commodore  Bell  soon  called  to  his  Orderly,  saying  : 
"  Orderly,  go  find  Mr.  Smith,  and  bring  him  to  my 
cabin." 

The  Orderly  came  briskly  up,  and  said:  "Mr.  Smith, 
you  are  demanded  at  the  office  of  my  Commodore.  Come, 
go  with  me.'* 

"  Yes,  sir,"  I  answered,  and  followed  the  Orderly. 

The  Orderly  gave  me  an  introduction  as  Mr.  Smith, 
the  carpenter. 

The  Commodore  bade  me  be  seated. 

<fc  Mr.  Smith,  they  tell  me  you  are  a  carpenter." 

"  Yes,"  I  answered,  "  that  is  my  trade,  sir." 


16  Magnetic  Astronomy 

"  We  are  going  into  a  warm  climate,  and  want  some 
blinds  for  the  stern  windows." 

Taking  me  to  the  spot,  he  showed  me  the  two  stern 
windows  of  the  ship,  and  remarked,  "  While  this  ship 
lay  at  the  Navyyard  on  Mare  Island,  I  sought  to  have 
Hinds  to  these  two  windows,  but  the  carpenter  informed 
me  that  they  could  not  be  done,  so  we  left  the  navyyard 
without  any  blinds  "  to  my  cabin."  The  gentleman  in  the 
ward-room  informs  me  that  you  are  an  adept  in  your 
business,  for  you  have  done  them  some  fine  work.  What 
do  you  think,  Mr.  Smith ;  can  you  make  and  fit  some 
blinds  to  those  windows  ?  You  see  the  window  sterns  ;  do 
you  think  it  possible  ?  " 

I  answered,  "  Yes,  sir,  if  you  have  the  material  on 
board." 

"  I  can  make  the  blinds  if  allowed  to  do  so  by  the  car- 
penter's mate,  who  is  my  boss,  as  I  am  in  that  department 
of  the  ship  now,  sir." 

"  Well,  we  have  the  lumber  and  the  paint,  and  the 
'  very  man  '  we  want.  Orderly,  go  to  the  ward  room  and 
order  the  carpenter,  Mr.  Hough,  to  come  to  my  office." 

The  carpenter  soon  appeared  dressed, — dressed  in  his 
uniform. 

"  Carpenter,  this  is  Mr.   Smith,  of  your  department." 

"Yes:  yes,  sir." 

"  Mr.  Smith  informs  me  he  can  make  and  fit  blinds  for 
these  two  windows." 


Of  the  Bible.  17 

"  All  right,"  said  the  carpenter.  "  But  wait,  Mr.  Hough. 
You  told  me  in  Vallejo  that  it  could  not  be  done.  Now, 
Mr.  Hou<jh,  give  Mr.  Smith  the  lumber  and  his  time,  and 
he  will  be  his  own  boss.'9 

"  The  Commodore  offered  me  his  fruits  and  wines.  I 
begged  to  be  excused  from  taking  any  of  his  wine,  but 
accepted  some  of  his  fruit." 

"You,  Mr.  Smith,  are  a  brave  man.  You,  sir,  will 
pardon  me  for  tempting  you  to  drink  !  " 

"The  blinds,  Mr.  Smith,  you  can  do,  and  if  you  need 
help  the  carpenter  will  give  you  a  man." 

"Take  your  time!  " 

The  yeoman's  time  was  now  out,  and  the  Lieutenant 
called  me  to  his  room  and  said,  "  The  Admiral  has  ap- 
pointed you  to  the  yoeman's  office,  but  we  are  sorry  to 
lose  you  from  the  carpenters'  department  so  soon  after 
your  good  work." 

The  Lieutenant  conducted  me  to  the  ship's  store,  and 
put  me  in  charge  of  the  store  and  all  the  goods.  He  then 
remarked,  "You,  Mr.  Smith,  are  possessor,  in  the  name 
of  the  United  States,  of  all  things  on  board  this  ship." 

THE    SOURCE    OF   MAGNETIC    CURRENT   AND   THE  TIDES. 

At  this  point  in  my  voyage  and  my  upward  tendency, 
and  more  than  all,  my  acquaintance  and  confidence  of 
the  officers  of  that  Noble  Flag-Ship. 

The  scientific  instruments,  charts,  and  books  of  the  ship 
were  all  within  my  reach  now. 


18  Magnetic  Astronomy 

I  was  supplied  with  a  clerk,  so  as  to  relieve  me  from 
my  hardest  work.  The  times  and  the  seasons  of  the  tides 
were  all  left  therefore  to  my  judgment ;  and  if  I  wanted 
a  boat,  I  had  one,  and  a  man  or  two. 

I  continued  my  observations  on  the  shore  of  the  harbor 
at  Guaymas,  but  we  could  observe  the  same  depression. 
All  showed  that  the  moon  repulsed  the  waters  up  the 
Gulf  of  California. 

We  soon  left  Guaymas  and  entered  the  Harbor  of 
Acapulco. 

The  object  of  our  cruise  was  to  watch  the  war  vessels 
of  France  and  the  Southern  Confederacy  on  this  coast  of 
the  Pacific. 

We  had  not  been  long  in  the  little  snug  harbor,  when  a 
sloop  of  war  dropped  her  kedge  anchor  at  the^  stern  of 
the  ship,  U.  8.  8.  Lancaster.  This  occurred  in  the  night. 

The  sloop  proved  to  be  a  French  man-of-war.  Then 
all  were  awake  to  know  what  was  up. 

The  pretense  was  that  the  war  sloop  came  in  to  obtain 
new  supplies  of  meats  and  fruits.  The  Captain  of  the 
French  corvet  threatened  to  fire  on  the  city  in  the  morn- 
ing, if  supplies  were  not  forthcoming. 

Admiral  Bell  heard  the  complaint  of  the  Frenchman 
and  finally  rose  to  his  feet.  "  You  will  fire  on  the  city  if 
they  do  not  supply  you  with  provisions,  will  you  "  ?  "  Yes, 
sir;  we  will !"  answered  the  Frenchman. 

"  We  will  be  all  ready,  and  sir,  take  notice  !      When 


Of  the  Bible.  19 

you  fire  on  this  town  you  will  only  fire  '  one  gun ,'  for  the 
U.  S.  ship  will  blow  your  ship  out  of  water,  or  sink  you 
in  this  harbor.'' ! !  ! 

The  next  morning  came,  and  the  French  war-sloop  had 
drawn  her  small  kedge  anchor  in  the  night :  she  now  took 
the  light  land  breezes  and  put  out  to  sea.  In  this  gem  of 
a  port  —  Acapulco  —  the  tides  and  the  barometer  showed 
the  same  repulsive  force  of  the  moon,  and  also  that  of  the 
sun  on  the  open  sea,  which  flows  up  within  one  mile  of 
the  city  into  the  harbor. 

And  we  were  well  supplied  with  fruits  by  the  good 
women  of  that  city«  Our  ship  took  in  her  kedge  anchors, 
and  we  also  steamed  S.  E.  to  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  to 
watch  the  French  &hip-of-war. 

The  second  tide  we  would  say,  that  in  the  physical 
geography  or  in  different  works  of  the  astronomy  of  the 
tides  there  is  no  just  cause  assigned  for  the  ebb  and  flow 
for  the  second  daily  tide.  It  is  a  reaction  tide,  as  we 
have  discovered  them  to  be  while  we  were  anchored  in 
Panama  Bay. 

MAGNETIC     TIDES. 

While  in  Panama,  in  what  is  called  the  Panama  Bay, 
we  call  an  open  roadstead. 

We  laid  off  in  this  bay  some  two  months,  and  we  were 
compelled  to  keep  a  long  distance  from  the  city  on  account 
of  the  wide  mud-flats  that  lay  between  the  ship's  anchor- 
age and  the  city.  Over  this  we  had  to  walk  at  low  tide, 
or  go  in  a  skiff  at  high  tide.  Panama  Bay  being  about 


•20  Magnetic  Astronomy 

midway  between  the  earth's  Equator  and  the  Tropic  of 
Cancer,  the  tides  were  very  high  at  that  point  of  the  sea- 
shore. 

And  the  physical  geography  of  the  lines  of  the  shore  on 
the  Northwest  Coast  are  such  as  to  cause  a  large  tidal 
wave  at  this  spot,  i.  e. ,  Panama  Bay,  for  the  good  reason 
that  the  force  of  the  moon  comes  into  this  bay  from  the 
northwest  at  new  moon.  So  the  reacting  tides  at  that 
point  are  large. 

And  this  explains  and  answers  the  question  often  pro- 
pounded :  "  Why  are  the  tides  of  the  Pacific  higher  than 
those  of  the  Atlantic  ?  " 

We  answer,  that  it  is  the  physical  configuration  of  the  sea- 
shore that  throws  up  the  sea  very  high  on  the  Pacific  side. 

We  have  learned  four  lessons  in  Panama  Bay.  First, 
that  the  first  tide  is  a  Lunar  Tide. 

Second,  that  the  second  tide  is  a  reacting  tide. 

Third,  that  the  tides  are  magnetie  tides. 

Fourth,  that  the  tides  are  caused  by  the  moon's  repul- 
sive force. 

We  obtained  our  discharge  from  the  Lancaster,  and 
returned  to  California  by  steamer. 

To  complete  our  new  design  in  the  art  of  war,  and  also 
to  complete  our  observation,  and  to  write  out  as  near  as 
possible  our  observed  facts  in  the  Order  of  Natural  Laws, 
so  that  our  books,  if  possible,  may  contain  facts  as  to  the 
tides,  and  as  to  the  source  of  the  magnetic  current,  so- 
called. 


CHAPTER  III. 


THE  FOUR  THEORIES. 

THE  FIRST  THEORY  OF   THE  ULTIMATE 
FORCE. 

BY  SIR  ISAAC  NEWTON. 

The  theory  of  Sir  Isaac  Newton  has  been  handled 
rather  roughly  for  a  few  years  past. 

Some  of  it  has  come  to  me  from  a  source  least  expect- 
ed. I  was  not  anxious  to  find  a  flaw  in  his  theory,  or  in 
the  theory  of  any  other  man.  But  in  seeking  for  the 
good  and  the  true  in  Astronomical  Science,  I  stumbled 
upon  the  following  strictures  on  the  Newtonian  Theory  of 
Universal  Gravitation. 

We  copy  from  Recreations  in  Astronomy,  by  Professor 
Warren,  dated  N.  Y.,  1878,  on  the  Ultimate  Force, 
which  is  as  follows  : 

"  We  have  discovered  some  of  the  laws  of  force  we  call 
gravitation.  But  what  do  we  know  of  its  essence  ?  Of 
how  it  appears  to  act  we  know  a  little.  What  it  is  we 
are  profoundly  ignorant. 

"  Few  men  ever  discuss  this  question.  All  theories  are 
sublimely  ridiculous,  and  fail  to  pass  the  most  primary 
tests. 


22  Magnetic  Astronomy 

44  How  matter  can  act  where  it  is  not  and  on  that  with 
which  it  has  no  connection  is  inconceivable." 

So  much  for  universal  Gravitation  by  one  of  our  con- 
temporary writers.  But  before  we  leave  this  branch  of 
our  subject,  we  will  quote  from  one  more  Professor  in 
Astronomy,  in  regard  to  the  Newtonian  force  of  Gravi- 
tation. 

Professor  Kavanaugh,  of  Mt.  Stirlin,  Kentucky,  says  : 

"  There  is  found  in  all  Nature  three  imponderable  ele- 
ments,— light,  heat  and  electricity, — over  which  gravita- 
tion has  no  influence  whatever. 

"  Hence,  we  hold  electricity  as  rightfully  enthroned 
and  crowned  as  God's  great  motor  monarch  to  control  the 
movements  of  the  Universe." 

Davey  says  that  the  Specific  Gravity  of  a  mineral  is 
weight  compared  with  that  of  some  substance  taken  as  a 
standard. 

And,  further,  he  says  that  for  solids  and  liquids  both, 
distilled  water  at  60  degrees  Fah.  is  generally  used  as  the 
standard. 

And  if  a  mineral  weighs  twice  as  much  as  water,  its 
specific  gravity  is  2,  if  three  times,  it  is  3,  etc. 

Specific  Gravity  is,  therefore,  its  weight  and  its  meas- 
urement. 

We  have  always  had  the  greatest  reverence  for  the 
theories  of  others,  especially  so  with  the  theory  of  Sir 
Isaac  Newton. 


Of  the  Bible.  23 

THE  SECOND  THEORY. 

Br  DECARTES. 


THE  FRENCH,  OR  DECARTES  THEORY. 

Decartes'  theory  was  that  the  whole  Solar  System  was 
governed  by  whirlpools  in  the  Ethereal  Piners  of  the  Solar 
System,  some  of  which  were  larger  than  others,  and  that 
by  some  law,  not  defined,  the  whole  were  preserved  and 
kept  in  space  by  some  unseen  power. 

This  philosopher  supposed  the  sun  to  be  immersed  in 
a  vast  mass  of  fluid,  extending  indefinitely  in  every  direc- 
tion. 

The  sun  by  its  rotation  set  the  parts  of  the  fluids  next 
to  it  in  rotation  ;  these  communicated  their  motions  to 
the  parts  still  farther  out  ;  and  so  on,  until  the  whole 
mass  was  set  in  rotation  like  a  whirlpool. 

The  planets  were  carried  around  in  this  ethereal  whirl- 
pool. The  more  distant  planets  moved  more  slowly, 
because  the  ether  was  less  affected  by  the  rotation  of  the 
sun. 

On  the  great  vortex  of  the  Solar  System  were  smaller 
ones,  each  planet  being  the  center  of  one  ;  and  thus  the 
satellites,  floating  in  the  ether,  were  carried  round  their 
primaries. 

Photography  in  its  relations  to  astronomy  is  full  of 
promise.  It  has  already  produced  some  wonderful  re- 


24  Magnetic  Astronomy 

suits.  But  no  one  believes  that  we  are  any  further  than 
the  threshold,  as  it  were,  in  the  application  of  the  art  to 
astronomical  sciences. 

For  instance:  the  results  now  obtained  with  the  aid  of 
photography  in  a  15-inch  telescope  are  no  better  than 
may  be  obtained  by  observation  through  a  2-inch  tele- 
scope. 

The  photographic  plate  is  so  much  more  sensitive  to 
the  action  of  chemical  rays  of  light  than  the  naked  eye, 
as  evidenced  by  the  photographing  of  invisible  spectra, 
and  of  stars  invisible  to  human  vision,  that  there  is  reason 
to  hope  the  time  will  come  when  a  photographic  film  will 
have  been  discovered  so  sensitive  and  so  reliable  as  to 
reveal  on  its  surface,  after  exposure  to  the  heavens,  that 
which  is  invisible  through  the  largest  telescope  and  with 
the  highest  power. 

We  shall  then  perhaps  learn  what  really  exists  on  the 
surface  of  the  moon. 

It  would  be  too  much  to  assume  that  the  limit  of  human 
ingenuity  has  been  reached,  and  that  further  conquests 
in  the  field  of  chemistry  and  mechanical  science,  as  related 
to  astronomy,  are  out  of  the  question. 

The  human  mind  is  quite  as  expansive  as  ever,  and  new 
methods  of  obtaining  desired  results  are  being  revealed 
in  astronomy  as  well  as  in  other  sciences.  And  while  the 
great  telescope  on  Mount  Hamilton  has  just  entered  upon 
its  work  of  revealing  the  hidden  mysteries  of  stellar  space, 


Of  the  Bible.  25 

llic  question  of  building  other  telescopes  of  still    greater 
power  is  being  discussed  to  further  advance  the  science. 

THE  THIRD  THEORY  OF  THE  ULTIMATE 
FORCE. 

BY  JUDGE  RICHARDSON,  OF  NEW  YORK. 

Mr.  Richardson  issued  a  pamphlet  in  1832,  and  his 
theory  in  electricity  was  adopted  by  Professor  Kavenough, 
of  Mt.  Stirlin,  Kentucky,  in  1843. 

In  1838,  T.  S.  Mackintosh,  of  England,  issued  a  book 
on  the  Electrical  Theory,  and  it  was  reissued  in  Boston, 
Mass. 

Hear  what  Professor  Kavenough  has  to  say  of  his 
adopted  theory  of  electricity. 

There  are  found  in  all  nature  three  imponderable  ele- 
ments,— Light,  Heat,  and  Electricity, — over  which  grav- 
itation has  no  influence  whatever.  • 

These  three  elements  are  produced  from  the  sun,  and 
combined  as  a  kind  of  trinity  in  every  solar  ray.  This 
element  electricity  is  above  and  independent  of  gravita- 
tion ;  it  is  infinite  in  the  area  of  its  action,  its  functions 
vastly  diversified  ;  hence  we  hold  it  as  the  rightfully  en- 
throned and  crowned  as  God's  Motor  Monarch. 

But  our  notes  upon  electricity  differ  materially  from 
those  of  Professor  Kavenough. 

Ours  are  as  follows : 


26  Magnetic  Astronomy 

Electricity  is  one  of  the  most  willing  and  winsome  ele- 
ments of  all  the  silent  forces  of  nature. 

Its  power  to  distribute  itself  is  one  of  its  best  qualities 
in  our  science,  and  in  the  arts ;  but  if  confined  and  cut  off 
from  a  good  and  ready  conductor,  it  will  explode  with 
a  great  noise,  whether  it  is  on  the  earth  or  in  the  sky  or 
clouds. 

It  is  fond  of  a  ride,  and  will  jump  on  the  farmer's  wag- 
on, hang  to  the  wheels  in  their  rotary  motion  in  the  grass 
and  dust  of  the  highways,  and  especially  on  shaky  tule 
lands. 

Again,  electricity  is  at  home  wherever  motion,  moisture, 
or  heat  are  found.  But  we  find  that  it  is  inactive  where 
those  three  conditions  are  lacking. 

But  to  our  proof  as  to  electricity  being  shy : 

1st.     It  is  shy  of  glass. 

2d.     It  is  shy  of  dry  atmosphere. 

3d.     It  seeks  to  ride,  upon  the  outside. 

4th.  The  source  of  electricity  is  in  the  sun,  as  it  is  the 
central  engine  of  the  whole  solar  system,  as  per  see. 

But  as  we  conceive  electricity  to  be  the  outer  manifes- 
tations of  the  positive  magnetic  supply,  and  in  the  proof 
of  magnetism,  we  have  also  the  proof  of  the  electric  sup- 
ply to  be  sun  power. 

Electricity  is  free  as  water,  and  what  water  is  to  the 
terrestrial  mechanics,  so  is  electricity  to  the  celestial 
mechanics. 


Of  the  Bible. 

FOURTH   THEORY   OF   THE   ULTIMATE 
FORCE. 

BY  W.  W.  SMITH,  ANTIOCH,  CALIFORNIA. 

My  first  lesson  in  astronomy  was  at  the  age  of  eleven 
years,  i.  e.  1822  ;  the  writer  was  placed  out  in  a  family 
where  one  of  the  men  was  an  able  mathematician  and 
astronomer. 

It  was  the  question  of  the  day  :  "  What  is  the  source 
of  the  tides  of  the  ocean  ?  " 

I  was  placed  out  to  learn  the  carpenter's  trade  at  about 
the  age  of  sixteen,  in  the  town  of  Merideth,  New  Hamp- 
shire. 

At  this  place  was  the  residence  of  Dudley  Levitt,  the 
New  England  almanac  maker.  Mr.  Levitt  and  his  two- 
daughters  were  astronomers,  and  I  attended  the  same 
church,  and  as  it  may  appear  sat  at  the  feet  of  three  astron- 
omers at  the  age  of  17.  But  to  be  a  practical  carpenter 
was  the  height  of  my  ambition  then  ;  and  to  be  that,  I 
must  attain  geometry  and  practical  drawing,  so  as  to  be 
master  of  my  trade  ;  and  these  studies  would  also  assist 
me  in  the  science  of  astronomy.  My  success  in  geometry 
and  drawing  was  such  that  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years  I 
became  the  draftsman  for  most  of  the  work  in  the  town 
and  country  around.  After  this,  I  entered  a  college 
course  of  study  in  New  Bedford,  Mass.  In  this  course 
we  studied  Greek,  Latin,  Algebra  and  "  Astronomy." 


28  Magnetic  Astronomy 

But  when  the  "  gold  fever  "  broke  out  in  New  England 
Rev.  J.  H.  Smith  and  myself,  twin  brothers,  determined 
to  take  our  families  and  come  to  California,  and  to  make 
the  voyage  around  Cape  Horn  with  our  wives  and  chil- 
dren. 

We  also  concluded  to  take  our  books  and  charts,  so 
as  to  advance  our  studies  in  the  science  of  astronomy. 
When  we  should  have  passed  the  Earth's  equator,  then 
we  would  open  up  to  our  view  the  stars  of  the  southern 
"  Pole  Regina  "  and  its  constellations. 

January  11,  1849,  we  sailed  out  of  Boston,  Mass.,  and 
in  just  sixty  days  we  entered  one  of  the  Brazilian  ports, 
St.  Catherine's.  Here,  among  orange  groves  and  fruits 
too  numerous  to  mention,  we  spent  about  thirty  days. 

This  gave  us  a  good  opportunity  to  test  the  theory  of 
Decartes,  on  the  "  Tides "  of  the  South  Atlantic 
Ocean,  as  well  as  those  of  the  North  where  we  had  lived. 

In  our  observations  on  the  south  side  of  the  Earth's 
equator,  we  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  theory  of 
"Attraction  "  being  the  cause  of  the  ebb  and  flow  of  the 
tides  must  be  a  mistake. 

For  our  observations  in  the  open  South  Atlantic  Sea 
showed  a  marked  difference  between  our  observation  and 
those  of  Decartes  Theory  of  Attraction. 

This  is  our  first  witness.  Having  this  one  witness 
against  the  theory  of  attraction,  we  commenced  a  closer 
observation  of  the  "  barometer,"  as  we  then  were  about 
on  the  Tropic  of  Capricorn. 


Of  the  Bible.  29 

We  soon  found  that  as  our  own  ship  passed  beneath 
the  moon's  nadir  the  barometer  showed  an  atmospheric 
or  "  Magnetic  Pressure  "  on  the  ocean. 

After  arriving  in  California,  we  often  visited  the  sea- 
shore east  of  the  Golden  Gate,  and  all  our  observations 
showed  that  when  the  moon  was  at  meridian,  it  was  High 
water  at  any  given  place  along  the  northwest  coast  of 
South  America  or  California. 

Being  thus  instantaneous,  it  was  suggested  that  the 
tided  were  magnetic  tides  ;  and  by  consulting  the  tidal 
lines  of  physical  geography  and  our  St.  Catherine's  obser- 
vation, we  found  that  beneath  the  moon's  nadir  it  was 
small  Low  Tide  all  the  time,  and  that  from  thirty  to  forty- 
five  degrees  north  it  was  High  Water  all  the  time.  It  was 
the  same  south  of  the  moon's  nadir. 

As  the  speed  of  this  pressure  is  about  one  thousand 
miles  an  hour,  and  of  such  breadth,  it  must  cause  a 
mighty  sea  where  it  meets  any  opposition  which  runs 
against  it,  like  our  American  or  the  Piscataqua  River  of 
N.  H.,  or  the  Bay  of  Fundy. 

Another  fact  was  learned  in  our  observations,  that  when 
the  moon  was  low  south  at  Capricorn^  then  were  our 
large  tides,  and  when  the  moon  was  north  at  Cancer,  then 
we  had  our  Low  Tide  at  Golden  Gate,  San  Francisco. 
But  the  reacting  tides  became  our  Large  Tides  when  the 
moon  was  high  in  the  north.  This  was  sufficient  to  banish 
from  our  minds  the  theory  of  attraction. 


SO  Magnetic  Astronomy 

So  we  began  to  write  some  upon  the  subject  of  tbe 
earth's  silent  forces.  Our  first  effort  was  on  the  subject 
of  the  Tides  of  the  ocean,  which  article  was  published  in 
the  San  Francisco  Chronicle  about  1874. 

THE    SOURCE    OF    MAGNETIC     POWER    AND    THE    IMPORT- 
ANCE   OF    THIS    SUBJECT. 

The  importance  of  a  true  knowledge  of  the  source  of 
the  magnetic  current,  so  called,  is  such  that  we  desire  to 
emphasize  its  importance.  The  importance  will  be  seen, 
when  we  consider  that  the  safety  and  the  progress  of  the 
naval  and  the  maritime  ships  of  the  world  are  governed 
by  this  force. 

MAGNETIC    FORCE. 

The  sailor  should  be  educated  in  this  matter,  so  as  to 
be  in  readiness  at  the  best  time  and  the  best  opportunity 
to  work  in  port,  and  when  at  sea  to  know  and  to  admonish 
when  to  make  sail,  clear  top,  or  reef  his  sails  when  he 
crosses  from  sea  to  sea  or  shore  to  shore. 

THE    SOURCE    OF    MAGNETIC    FORCE. 

The  source  of  magnetic  force  is  not  in  the  earth  or  in 
the  sea,  or  anything  terrestrial,  but  it  is  in  the  celestial 
spheres. 

The  sun  is  the  source  to  the  distribution  of  the  mag- 
netic force,  and  we  find  that  the  most  of  the  planets  sus- 
tain a  symmetrical  proportion  in  the  distributing  magnetic 
elements  in  the  earth's  atmosphere  above  us,  as  well  as 
the  earth  beneath  us. 


Of  the  Bible.  31 

But  the  seas  are  most  deeply  affected  by  the  moon. 

Those  planets  which  lay  between  the  Sun  and  Saturn, 
those  from  Mercury  to  Jupiter,  are  known  to  affect  the 
magnetic  conditions  of  the  earth,  through  the  thermal 
conditions  of  our  atmosphere,  and  through  the  atmosphere 
of  the  earth  they  affect  the  meteorological  conditions  of 
the  Tides  of  the  ocean,  and  its  mighty  waves  that  thunder 
on  our  seashore.  At  this  point  we  extract  a  few  lines 
from  one  of  our  late  cotemporary  writers,  in  his  book  on 
the  subject  of  the  Newtonian  Theory  of  Attraction. 

RECREATIONS    IN    ASTRONOMY. 

"  We  have  discovered  some  of  the  laws  of  force  we  call 
gravitation."  But  what  do  we  know  of  its  essence? 

How  it  appears  to  act  we  know  a  little  ;  what  it  is  we 
are  profoundly  ignorant.  Few  men  ever  discuss  this 
•question. 

All  theories  are  sublimely  ridiculous,  and  fail  to  pass 
the  most  primary  tests. 

How  matter  can  act  where  it  is  not  and  on  that  with 
which  it  has  no  connection,  is  inconceivable. 

Newton  said  that  any  one  could  not  admit  for  a  moment 
the  possibility  of  a  sun  exercising  thereupon  an  attractive 
power. 

In  view  of  this  Prof.  Warren  has  written,  it  is  evident 
that  his  mind  is  disgusted  with  the  Newton  theory  of  uni- 
versal gravitation,  called  universal  in  astronomy ;  and 
that  he  had  also  discovered  the  want  of  such  proof  as  it 


32  Magnetic  Astronomy 

should  have  had,  to  have  placed  Newton's  theory  among 
the  positive  in  astronomy. 

But  now  we  hasten  in  presenting  the  following  new 
positive  side  of  astronomy. 

But  let  us  notice  the  loss  sustained  in  the  Newtonian 
theory. 

A    LOST    LINK. 

We  venture  the  remark,  that  for  the  want  of  a  better 
acquaintance  with  the  Laws  of  Magnetic  Motion  more 
than  one-half  of  Sir  Isaac  Newton's  Universal  Gravitation 
has  been  lost  to  the  science  of  astronomy. 

For  gravitation  is  explained  to  be  Universal  Attraction. 
So  in  this  way  a  link  is  lost  in  the  chain  of  gravity,  to 
which  is  attached  the  Key  that  is  to  unlock  the  gates  to 
the  fields  of  Science  beyond. 

This  link  is  found  with  the  Key  attached  to  it,  and  with 
this  Key  it  is  proposed  that  the  gates  beyond  are  to  be 
unlocked,  and  that  they  are  to  stand  open  for  the  rich,  the 
poor,  the  bond  and  the  free  of  the  juvenile  portion  of  the 
world. 

The  Link  is  Magnetic  Repulsion. 

REPULSION. 

In  the  science  of  magnetism  there  is  a  standing  rule, 
viz,  that  two  positive  magnets  repel  each  other,  and  that 
one  positive  magnet  and  one  negative  attract  each  other. 


Of  the  Bible.  33 

CERTAIN    CONDITIONS, 

Thus  it  will  be  observed  that  certain  magnetic  condi- 
tions are  brought  into  the  account  of  attraction,  when 
considered  and  understood  magnetically  ;  and  certain  mag- 
netic conditions  must  also  be  brought  into  the  account  of 
Repulsion. 

Now  if  this  be  so,  how  can  we  say  "  that  every  atom  in 
nature  attracts  every  other  atom  in  nature  "  ?  Let  us  see. 

MAGNETIC    ATTRACTION    AND    REPULSION. 

If  magnetic  conditions  are  thus  to  be  brought  into  ac- 
count, and  one  thing  in  nature  is  positive  in  its  condition, 
another  in  the  same  positive  condition,  then  they  repel 
each  other. 

Now  if  this  be  so,  where  is  "  Universal  Attraction  "  ? 
One  may  say,  it  is  gone.  We  say  "No,  sir;  it  is  written 
with  the  pen  of  a  diamond  in  the  hearts  of  the  people. 
It  is  incorporated  into  the  laws  of  Astronomy  and  into 
our  common  school  books  as  a  fact,  and  how  can  it  go?" 
Let  conscience  answer.  This  question  is  for  the  ages, 
Truth  or  Fiction,  which  ? 

But  we  are  digressing  from  the  path  of  our  purpose  in 
the  matter  of  the  presentation  of  the  simple  powers  that 
are  manifest  in  all  nature, — among  which  is  one  not  ac- 
counted for  in  the  science  of  Astronomy. 

This  repulsion  force  is  accompanied  by  that  of  electri- 
city, and  perhaps  is  rightly  termed  electro-magnetic  con- 


34  Magnetic  Astronomy 

ditions  of  things,  like  the  telegraph  wires  and  their  con- 
ditions. From  1871  to  1884  the  writer  was  in  a  great 
quandary  about  a  name.  He  had  a  force, — had  found  a 
power, — but  had  no  name  for  it.  What  are  the  sun 
and  moon  and  planetary  force  to  be  called  ? 

For  a  better  answer  we  call  it  Repulsion,  as  proposed 
by  Prof.  Norton  ;  and  now  after  thirteen  years  we  find 
this  repulsive  force  to  be  a  good,  and  perhaps  the  best 
name  for  it. 

Newton's  force  is  the  Centripetal  Force. 

Smith's  force  is  the  Centrifugal  Force. 

But  let  us  pass  on  to  notice  the  positive  in  Celestial 
Mechanics. 

POSITIVE   POLAR    ECCENTRICITIES. 

Why  does  the  South  Pole  drop  so  low  and  the  North 
Pole  rise  so  high  ? 

This  question  is  one  of  the  philosophical  questions  of 
the  centuries  past,  and  many  presumptions  have  been 
proposed.  But  up  to  1871  it  stood  in  the  physical  sciences 
as  one  of  the  most  profound  questions.  Why,  oh  why, 
these  Polar  Eccentricities  ? 

WE    ANSWER. 

In  answer  to  this  absorbing  and  philosophical  question, 
we  would  say  that  it  is  a  Physical  Pressure  on  that  part 
of  the  earth's  surface,  and  so  far  south  of  its  Equator 
that  it  holds  the  South  Pole  as  with  an  iron  positive  Mag- 
netic Power.  That  power  is  the  Sun's  Power. 


Of  the  Bible.  35 

THE    SUN'S    POWER. 

A  New  Power  Discovered  in  the  Sun. 

In  presenting  this  New  Discovery,  we  are  aware  that 
we  shall  antagonize  the  accepted  theories  of  preceding 
teachers,  the  early  conception  theories  of  scientific  inquir- 
ers, and  the  published  statements  in  the  text  books  in 
the  schools.  To  assail  and  to  attempt  to  overthrow  this 
triple  wall,  so  to  speak,  may  seem  presumptuous  ;  but  we 
feel  assured  that  our  New  Discovery  is  more  than  a  theory 
— it  is  to  us  an  established  fact. 

And  if  we  show  that  it  is  &faci,  then  it  is  more  than  a 
Theory.  Yes,  a  Theorem. 

THE    SOURCE    OF   MAGNETIC   FORCE. 

The  source  of  magnetic  power  or  force  has  been  taught 
to  be  of  earthly  or  terrestrial  birth. 

It  is  nearly  300  years  since  Dr.  Win.  Gilbert  announced 
the  theory  that  the  earth  was  a  great  magnet. 

That  announcement  was  received  with  great  joy  by  the 
different  nations  of  the  earth.  Most  of  the  European 
governments  summoned  their  scientific  explorers,  and  after 
equipping  and  fitting  out  their  ships,  sent  them  forth  to 
explore  the  Magnetic  World  on  the  seas. 

In  these  explorations  they  were  required  to  find  these 
two  things,  viz : 

First. — To  find  the  Magnetic  Equator  of  this  Mag- 
netic Power. 


36  Magnetic  Astronomy 

Second. — To  find  the  Meridian  of  this  Earthly  mag- 
netic force. 

They  have  accomplished  much  in  reference  to  both  of 
these  points,  especially  the  first,  on  the  sea,  as  -to  the  spot 
where  its  power- is  most  manifest. 

THE  EQUATOR  OF  MAGNETIC  FORCE. 

They  supposed  that  the  equator,  or  the  spot  on  the 
earth  where  the  greatest  manifestations  of  the  magnetic 
forces  were  most  apparent,  would  be  on  or  about  the 
Earttis  Equator. 

But  they  were  all  disappointed  in  their  explorations, 
for  they  had  to  sail  south  of  the  earth's  equator  1,350 
miles  to  find  the  magnetic  equator. 

This  discovery  that  the  power  they  were  seeking  was  so 
far  south  seemed  to  bother  them  a  great  deal,  and  dampen 
their  ardor. 

And  to  correct  and  determine  the  locality  of  this  mag- 
netic force,  or  its  equator,  there  have  been  numerous  ships 
and  men  going  and  coming  for  this  express  purpose  for 
200  years. 

By  common  consent  it  is  now  well  established  that  the 
line  of  this  Magnetic  Force  is  about  25  degrees  south  ; 
whereas,  if  the  earth  were  the  Source  of  Supply,  it  would 
be  found  on  the  earth's  equator. 

THE    MERIDIAN. 

The  meridian  of  this  power  is  not  as  yet  so  well  deter- 
mined. For  some  say  that  there  is  one,  others  two,  and 


Of  the  Bible.  37 

others  that  there  are  an  infinite  number  of  bars  of  iron 
running  north  and  south.  And  it  is  a  matter  of  fact  that 
for  years  the  true  sources  of  Magnetic  Force  have  been 
questioned,  and  the  theory  of  Dr.  Gilbert  has  been  set 
aside  by  some  experts  as  without  foundation. 

The  fact  is,  there  has  not  been  sufficient  material  found 
on  the  earth  to  warrant  the  belief  in  Dr.  Gilbert's  theory 
that  the  earth  was  the  cause  or  supply  of  this  force. 

The  superabundance  of  this  force,  being  found  so  far 
south  in  mid  ocean,  precludes  the  supposition  that  beneath 
these  seas  there  are  beds  of  ore  which  attract  the  compass 
north  or  south.  Again,  attempts  have  been  made  to  find 
the  necessary  ores  of  iron  running  through  the  earth  be- 
neath the  meridians,  but  they  have  sought  in  vain.  So 
they  have  settled  down  to  the  conclusion  that  the  merid- 
ian of  this  force,  as  well  as  the  source  itself,  are  among 
the  mysteries  in  the  sciences. 

When  we  consider  the  necessity  of  properly  determining 
the  meridian  of  this  power,  for  the  safe  guidance  of  ships 
across  the  trackless  ocean,  this  question  assumes  a  world- 
wide importance:  Where  is  the  source  and  meridian  of 
Magnetic  Power? 

It  seems  to  us  that  the  theory  of  Dr.  Gilbert,  if  true, 
should  be  proved  by  this  time,  or  else  abandoned  as  false. 
But  it  is  so  incorporated  in  the  books  that  doubtless  some 
will  regard  it  as  sacrilege  for  any  one  to  look  for  more 
tangible  solutions  of  the  question. 


38  Magnetic  Astronomy 

But  the  importance  of  the  question  demands  a  correct 
answer,  whether  these  Magnetic  Forces  are  of  Terrestrial 
or  Celestial  Origin. 

But  right  here  another  question  forces  itself  upon  us. 

How  is  it  that  so  much  magnetic  power  is  found  in  the 
lodestone  and  iron  ore? 

We  answer  :  the  lodestone,  and  the  iron  ores,  and  other 
metals,  are  only  the  retainers  of  a  small  per  cent  of  this 
mighty  sea  of  Magnetic  Power,  as  it  sweeps  north  and 
south. 

CONCLUSION. 

Sir  Isaac  Newton  made  his  announcements  about  1670, 
yet  no  proofs  have  appeared  as  yet  to  place  his  theory 
among  the  positives  in  Celestial  Mechanics. 

And  now,  1892,  after  waiting  about  300  years,  we  find 
that  there  are  three  coincidental  discoveries,  that  in  a  very 
remarkable  manner  culminate  in  one  complete  system  of 
Astronomy.  , 

First. 

Newton  discovered  the  Attractive  Force. 
Smith  discovered  the  Repulsive  Force. 

Second. 

Newton  discovered  the  Centripetal  Force. 
Smith  discovered  the  Centrifugal  Force. 

Third. 

Newton  discovered  the  Negative  Force. 
Smith  discovered  the  Positive  Force. 


Of  the  Bible.  39 

By  these  coincident  Forces,  we  can  explain  the  New- 
tonian theory  of  attraction,  but  by  no  other  hypothesis. 

These  three  links  complete  the  positive  magnetic  chain  ; 
as  we  adopt  the  Positive  "  Magnectic  Force,"  which  is 
the  ultimate  force  in  Celestial  Mechanics. 

WM.  W.  SMITH. 

The  following  are  a  few  of  the  helpers  in  our  work : 

Dr.   Gilbert,  Dr.   Kolison,  Guyat,  Muyer,  Humboldt, 

Byot,  Hensteen,  Sir  John  Ross,  Prof.  Matthewson,  Dr. 

Warren,  Prof.  Leviett  and  two  daughters,  Burritt,  (the 

Learned  Blacksmith),  Prof.  Newcomb,  arid  others. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

SEVEN  SEALS  OPENED  OR  SEVEN 
MYSTERIES  REVEALED, 

Thus  all  these  are  seven  mysteries  in  Astronomy. 

1st.     The  Zodiacal  Light. 

2d.      The  Milky  Way. 

3d.       The  Northern  Lights. 

4th.     The  Comets. 

5th.     Mechanism  of  the  Tides. 

6th.     The  Science  of  the  Magnetic  Current ;  and 

7th.     The  Source  of  Electricity. 

We  shall  notice  these  points  separately  as  we  pass  on. 

FIRST  AND  SECOND  MYSTERIES. 

MILKY     WAY     AND     ZODIACAL     LIGHT.        ASTRONOMICAL 
OBSERVATIONS  IN    CALIFORNIA. 

Professor  Newcomb  says  in  view  of  all  known  observa- 
tions of  the  Zodiacal  Light  and  the  Milky  Way :  "  It 
would  indicate  a  lenticular  shaped  atmosphere  of  incon- 
ceivable rarity,  surrounding  the  sun  and  extending  out 
near  the  plane  of  the  elliptic,  beyond  the  orbit  of  the 


Of  the  Bible.  41 

earth.''  But  further  researches  must  be  made  before  a 
.  conclusive  result  can  be  reached.  And  as  to  what  this 
matter  is,  he  says:  "It  is  impossible  to  make  a  positive 
answer  to  this  question."  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the 
latest  and  most  "  popular  "  work  on  astronomy  is  frank 
to  acknowledge  that  the  Zodiacal  Light  is  a  mystery. 

Professor  Mathison  says :  "  After  all  the  observations 
that  have  been  made  and  the  theories  that  have  been 
advanced,  it  must  be  admitted  that  the  subject  of  the 
Milky  Way  and  the  Zodiacal  Light  is  but  imperfectly 
understood." 

"  This  peculiar  light,"  says  Johnson,  in  his  Encyclo- 
pedia, "  is  among  the  mysteries  in  astronomy  to  be 
revealed  by  future  generations." 

The  clearness  of  the  atmosphere  in  California  and  the 
great  number  of  clear  nights,  together  with  its  mildness 
of  climate,  give  to  its  students  in  Astronomy  the  best  of 
opportunities  for  its  study. 

The  design  of  the  writer  is  to  give  to  the  public — and 
especially  to  the  young — the  result  of  his  researches  of 
over  60  years  of  the  laws  of  Nature  and  of  God. 

Arid  where  his  theories  may  in  some  cases  diverge 
from  those  of  others,  he  has  given  a  philosophical  reason 
for  this  divergence,  and  also  proof  to  sustain  his  theorem, 
so  as  to  present  only  the  positive. 

First,  the  milky  way.  It  has  been  a  sealed  book  to  us 
and  the  world  up  to  the  22nd. of  March,  1882.  At  that 
date  the  writer  made  the  discovery  that  the  milky  way  is 


42  Magnetic  Astronomy 

the  light  of  the  sun  on  the  planetary  atmosphere  while 
the  sun  is  below  the  earth. 

The  proof  will  be  apparent  to  any  one  who  will  take 
the  time  to  be  on  the  lookout  at  12  o'clock  at  night  on 
the  22d  of  March,  for  at  that  date  the  sun  holds  a  cen- 
tral position  at  midnight  at  the  Earth's  Nadir.  And 
also  on  the  22d  of  September. 

On  the  22d  of  March  is  the  best  time  for  observation. 
Let  the  student  stand  face  to  the  west ;  then  you  will 
see  the  milky  way  at  your  right,  running  around  north 
and  east  beneath  the  North  Polar  Star.  Then  turn 
again  westward,  and  you  will  see  another  line  of  light 
running  southward. 

These    two    distinct  lines    of   light    extending  around 

O  * 

from  the  west  each  way,  are  sunlight  on  the  sun's  at- 
mosphere. Some  suppose  it  to  be  a  ring  around  the  sun. 

So  we  find  the  Zodiacal  Light  and  the  Milky  Way  are 
one  and  the  same  thing  ;  sunlight  on  its  own  atmosphere. 

March  22,  1882,  gave  us  a  good  opportunity  to  test 
our  theorem  of  the  Milky  Way,  and  also  of  the  Zodiacal 
Light. 

The  writer  had  had  his  views  upon  the  subject,  and 
wanted  a  night  without  a  moon  and  without  a  cloud 
around  the  whole  horizon. 

And  at  12  o'clock  at  night,  on  March  the  20th,  21st, 
and  22nd,  1882,  the  sun  was  on  the  equator,  and  also  be- 
neath the  earth's  nadir. 


Of  the  Bible.  43 

And  my  theory  was,  that  if  it  was  Sun  Light,  then  at 
that  ti:ne,  12  o'clock  at  night,  the  Milky  Way  around 
the  whole  horizon  would  be  seen  by  those  living  near  the 
earth's  equator. 

And  the  Milky  Way  will  also  be  seen  on  the  21st  and 
22nd  of  September.  It  is  also  a  point  of  time  good  for 
the  observation  of  these  two  distinct  lines  of  light  running 
up  to  a  point  45  degrees  high  to  the  feet  of  the  constella- 
tion Gemini.  The  south  one  is  called  the  Zodiacal  Light 
and  the  north  one  is  called  the  Milky  Way. 

THIRD  MYSTERY. 

THE   NORTHERN    LIGHTS. 

Are  they  a  mystery  ?  We  answer,  Yes  :  and  offer  the 
proof.  Professor  Newcomb,  page  310,  makes  this  sweep- 
ing remark  aboui;  the  Northern  Lights. 

"  We  must  include  Aurora  or  Northern  Lights  among 
those  things  of  which  modern  observations  have  opened 
up  more  difficulties  tlian  modern  theorists  have  explained." 

And  Dr.  Warren,  in  his  Recreations,  page  144,  says: 

"  The  earth  is  not  without  its  inexplicable  surround- 
ings. In  the  Aurora,  the  realm  of  this  royal  splendor  is 
as  yet  an  unconquered  world,  waiting  for  its  Alexander." 

We  would  remark,  that  when  the  sun  has  passed  below 
our  horizon,  and  he  shines  upon  the  polar  snows  the 
dashing  waters  of  the  northern  seas,  and  there  against 
the  mountains  of  icebergs,  then  the  north  lights  appear 


44  .  Magnetic  Astronomy 

to  our  view  at  best  advantage  ;  and  we  had  supposed  that 
they  were  reflections  on  earth's  atmosphere.  We  explain 
the  Aurora  as  being  a  secondary  light. 

The  sun  being  in  its  centrifugal  force  positive,  and 
that  positive  magnetic  force  striking  the  earth  as  it  does, 
25  degrees  south  of  the  earth's  equator,  where  their  power 
is  parted  in  its  motion  north  and  south,  one  part  is  passed 
over  and  the  other  is  passed  below  the  earth,  and  they 
meet  again  north  of  us  in  plain  sight. 

And  as  the  two  divisions  dash  over  the  Round  Earth 
they  mingle  and  co-mingle  with  each  other  ;  their  ming- 
ling motion  is  pushing  them  forward  north. 

They  thus  repulse  each  other  by  the  great  law  of  mag- 
netic bodies,  and  they  snap  and  crack  like  a  coachman's 
whip,  and  often  they  appear  like  two  marching  armies 
who  march  by  the  music  of  the  spheres  ;  but  of  a  faint 
electric  liglit,  because  both  pass  on  the  same  way  ;  and 
again',  we  should  add,  both  of  them  are  positive  and  mag- 
netic. 

FOURTH  MYSTERY. 

COMETS. 

Of  comets,  Professor  Newcomb  says :  tf  As  the  case 
now  stands,  we  must  regard  the  Spectrum  of  Comets  as 
something  not  yet  satisfactorily  accounted  for." 

And  Professor  Warren  says :  "  The  unsolved  problems 
are  not  all  in  the  sun,  but  our  acquaintance  (with  com- 
ets) is  too  limited  to  enable  us  to  master  the  difficulties.'* 


Of  the  Bible.  45 

Professor  Matterson  says  :  "After  all  that  is  supposed 
to  be  known  respecting  comets,  it  must  be  admitted  that 
they  are  less  understood  than  any  other  bodies  belonging 
to  our  system." 

What  regions  do  these  bodies  visit,  and  upon  what 
errands  do  they  come, — surpasses  the  limited  powers  of 
human  understanding  at  present  to  determine. 

By  the  foregoing  quotations  from  this  new  work  of 
Professor  Newcomb,  it  is  clearly  seen  in  what  light  the 
Comets  have  been  and  now  are  considered  by  the  best 
writers  and  thinkers  about  comets,  and  also  cornetary 
matters,  up  to  1882. 

All  is  left  in  mystery. 

Therefore  an  open  field  is  before  the  observer,  in  the 
line  of  discovery  of  the  nature  and  the  causes  that  pro- 
duce what  are  known  as  comets. 

We  consider  that  there  are  two  kinds  of  comets. 

The  first  is  the  effect  of  planetary  repulsion. 

"  Attraction  and  Repulsion  are  planetary  Laws  "  with 
us,  and  the  most  simple  forms  of  speech  to  express  the 
"Laws  of  Gravitation  in  the  positive  and  negative." 

It  will  be  seen  that  repulsion  is  as  important  a  power 
as  attraction. 

And  that  the  power  manifest  in  planetary  repulsion  is 
magnetic  power  on  its  positive  side. 

And  now  it  occurs  to  inquire,  What  is  the  manner  of 
their  power? 


46  Magnetic  Astronomy 

Answer:  First,  flashing  light;  second,  a  steady  stream 
of  light  always  like  what  are  called  comets  in  the  books. 

The  second  manner  of  repulsion  in  that  of  a  comet  is 
a  steady,  continuous  magnetic  blaze,  and  it  will  continue 
as  long  as  the  cause  remains  near  enough  to  be  seen. 

This  cause  is  outside  pressure  of  the  larger  planets 
against  those  near  to  the  earth ;  and  the  whole  is  seen 
and  demonstrated  upon  the  outer  atmosphere  of  the 
earth,  and  it  may  be  upon  the  atmosphere  of  the  other 
planets ;  and  the  whole  thing  be  understood  by  two  or 
three  words,  Magnetic  Repulsion  or  Planetary  Atmos- 
pheric Repulsion. 

Those  three  words  are  expressive  of  what  we  under- 
stand the  repulsive  force  of  planets  to  be,  and  what  the 
books  and  the  scientific  world  call  "  Comets."  And  the 
Spectroscope  defines  them  as  they  do  the  atmosphere. 

And  again,  by  these  cometary  lights  and  forms,  as  de- 
monstrated before  our  eyes,  is  the  first  law  of  light  and 
magnetism,  which  is  to  give  and  give  and  distribute  boun- 
tifully Night  and  Day.  Electricity  in  its  flashes  is  the 
manifestation  of  the  positive  in  magnetism. 

A    SECOND    KIND    OF    COMETS. 

The  second  kind  of  comets  are  those  reflections  of  one 
planet  upon  the  smooth  surface  of  the  outer  atmosphere 
of  the  Earth,  or  any  other  planet's  atmosphere. 

The  simple  motion  of  the  Earth  upon  its  axis  moves  a 
certain  portion  of  atmosphere  in  space.  This  we  call 
planetary  moving  atmosphere. 


Of  the  Bible.  47 

And  out  in  space  beyond  the  centrifugal  force  it  is 
called  "  Ether." 

But  all  that  we  call  atmosphere  in  space  beyond  the 
centrifugal  forces,  we  call  Static  or  still  atmosphere. 
This  outer  line  of  Earth's  atmosphere  is  a  sea  of  glass 
mingled  with  fire, — or  a  looking  glass  in  the  sky. 

For  we  believe  there  is  no  vacuum  in  all  the  universe. 
Professor  Loomis  has  joined  in  with  us  in  the  vast  extent 
of  the  Earth's  atmosphere. 

In  1871  we  extended  it  so  that  the  moon  rolled  around 
upon  it,  and  Prof.  Loomis  came  out  in  1875,  saying  that 
it  must  be  25,000  miles  out  to  the  line  where  the  centrif- 
ugal force  was  dissipated. 

The  nature  of  the  atmosphere  is  such  that  it  is  thrown 
out  by  the  Earth's  rotary  motion,  which  is  1000  miles 
per  hour. 

THE    COMET    OF    1882. 

It  was  said  of  the  Comet  of  1882  that  it  would  move 
off  south,  and  soon  be  out  of  sight. 

But  no,  not  so.  It  did  not  move  at  all,  but  the  back- 
ground did  move  slowly,  and  as  surely  as  did  the  earth 
toward  Capricornus. 

This  background  was  the  earth's  shadow  on  the  earth's 
lenticular  form  of  atmosphere  with  its  background,  on 
which  the  planet  Mars  was  first  mirrored. 

To  us  the  comet  is  only  a  manifestation  of  two  repuls- 
ive forces  meeting  in  space  :  according  to  the  first  law  of 
magnetism,  they  repulse  each  other. 


48  Magnetic  Astronomy 

FIFTH   MYSTERY. 

THE  SOURCE  OF  THE  EBB  AND  FLOW  OF  TIDES  OF 
THE  OCEAN. 

In  1871  we  wrote  our  first  article  on  the  Tides  of  the 
Ocean,  and  in  1876  we  published  the  same  as  a  Centennial 
article;  and  in  1878  it  was  printed  in  pamphlet  form  as 
Celestial  Dynamics. 

And  about  this  time  (1875)  the  writer  acquired  a  French 
book — revised  and  translated  it  into  the  English  lansua^e 

o  o       o 

— by  Prof.  Guilman,  and  gauged  the  findings  and  writ- 
ings of  Prof.  La  Place  on  the  Tides  of  the  Ocean. 

Decarte  says  La  Place  thought  he  had  discovered 
the  true  source  of  the  tides  of  the  ocean ;  but  observa- 
tions all  go  to  show  that  he  was  mistaken,  and  that  the 
tides  were  still  among  the  mysteries  of  Astronomy. 

And  now,  1893,  the  Centennial  Year  of  the  Landing  of 
Columbus,  and  the  year  of  the  World's  Fair  in  Chicago, 
Illinois  :  and  in  honor  of  that  landing,  we  dedicate  this 
work  to  the  Columbian  Exhibit  of  1893.  the  Columbian 
Fair. 

STILL    A    MYSTERY. 

Elihu  Burritt,  by  H.  Matherson,  A.  M. 

They  say,  in  conclusion,  on  the  Tides  : 

"  We  have  thus  stated  the  principal  facts  connected  with 
this  complicated  phenomenon,  and  the  causes  to  which 
they  are  generally  attributed." 


Of  the  Bible.  49 

And  yet  it  is  not  certain  that  the  philosophy  of  the 
Tides  is  to  this  day  fully  understood. 

Prof.  Newcomb,  1882,  page  93  : 

He  goes  on  to  state  the  general  phenomenon  of  the 
Tides  of  the  Ocean,  and  then  he  says  : 

"  The  cause  of  this  ebb  and  flow  of  the  sea,  and  its  re- 
lation to  the  moon,  was  a  mystery,  until  gravitation 
showed  it  to  be  due  to  the  attraction  of  the  moon  on  the 
waters  of  the  ocean." 

Yet  he  says  that  no  certainty  can  be  known,  only  by 
observation. 

Prof.  Warren,  on  the  Tides  of  1879: 

He  makes  the  following  open  confession  : 

"  It  must  be  conceded  that  the  profoundest  study  has 
not  mastered  the  whole  philosophy  of  the  Tides." 

Prof.  Warren  goes  on  to  say : 

"  There  are  certain  facts  that  are  apparent,  but  for  an 
explanation  of  their  theory,  such  men  as  La  Place,  Newton 
and  Ayers  have  labored  in  vain  to  explain,  or  solve.*' 

Thus  it  will  appear  that  there  are  plenty  of  worlds  to 
conquer. 

And  if  Prof.  Norton  was  to  arise  and  speak,  he  would 
say  that  "  that  man  up  in  the  country  is  ahead  of  La  Place, 
Newton  and  Ayers  ;  and  more  than  this,  he  stands  on  a 
high  elevated  spot,  around  which  all  the  scientific  world 
have  been  marching  in  all  the  centuries  past. 

"  But  they  did  not  find  it.  Mr.  /Smith,  of  Antioch,  Cal., 


50  Magnetic  Astronomy 

is  the  first  man  to  stand  on  that  spot ;  and  there  he  will 
stand  forever. 

"  And  more  than  this,  his  name  will  go  down  to  pos- 
terity as  the  discoverer  of  A  repulsive  physical  force  that 
governs  the  tides  and  planets,  moon  and  stars,  in  their 
courses." 

Prof.  Norton,  then  of  the  State  Normal  School,  San 
Jcse,  Cal.,  said  what  I  have  quoted  above  in  a  public  as- 
sembly at  Redwood  City,  Cal.,  in  1875. 

SIXTH  MYSTERY. 

MAGNETIC    CURRENT. 

First. — Let  us  enquire,  What  is  the  source  of  the 
magnetic  current  ? 

The  source  of  the  magnetic  supply  demands  our  atten- 
tion, as  upon  this  point  hinges  the  door  that  we  propose 
to  open,  and  to  have  it  stand  open  to  the  enquiring  world 
in  all  the  ages  to  come. 

The  source  of  the  magnetic  supply  has  been  and  now 
is  among  the  mysteries  of  philosophy,  and  of  chemistry. 
It  is  claimed  to  be  in  magnetic  stones,  or  lode  stones,  iron 
ores,  etc.,  but  finally  the  earth  was  called  a  great  magnet. 

Witness,  this  magnetic  power  has  a  rise  and  fall  with 
the  sun.  Its  maximum  is  at  12  o'clock  at  noon  ;  and  the 
minimum  is  12  o'clock  at  night ;  this  shows  that  it  is  sun 
power,  and  not  in  the  earth  as  a  magnet. 


Of  the  Bible.  51 

The  rise  and  fall  of  this  power  as  stated  above  should 
be  proof  sufficient  in  the  findings  of  the  facts  in  this 
case,  that  magnetic  force  is  not  in  the  earth  as  a  mag- 
net, but  that  it  derives  its  power  from  the  sun. 

MAGNETIC  POWER  IS  SUN  POWER. 


To  begin  with,  there  are  three  important  questions  be- 
fore us,  published  in  the  London  u  Century  ''  of  October, 
1883,  as  follows  : 

1.  Why  does  the  sun,  instead  of  attracting,  repel  the 
tails  of  comets  ? 

We  answer,  Because  the  sun  has  a  repelling  force. 

2.  Does  not  attraction  reign  exclusively  in  space  ? 
We  answer,  No  :  for  if  it  did  the  solar  system  would 

meet  in  chaos  in  the  sun. 

3.  Must  the  science  of  celestial  mechanics  henceforth 
take  account  of  a  second  force  ? 

We  answer,  Yes :  if  it  would  be  ocientific  it  must  adopt 
the  positive  to  work  with  the  Newtonian  negative,  for 
without  the  two  (the  positive  and  negative)  the  earth 
would  not  revolve. 

FURTHER   PROOF. 

1.  The  magnetic  force  has  a  rise  and  a  fall  with  the 
sun.  The  minimum  of  this  force  is  at  12  o'clock' night, 
and  the  maximum  at  12  o'clock  noon. 


52  Magnetic  Astronomy 

2.  In  the  deep  mining  shafts  in  the  earth,  loosened 
stones  and  debris  commence  falling  at  about  12  o'clock 
night.     This  is  at  the  time  when  the  sun's  centrifugal 
force  is  directly  antipodal  to  12  o'clock  noon. 

3.  When  the  sun  and  moon  are  both  on  the  same  line, 
as  they  are  at  the  moon^s  changes,  they  give  to  us  the 
large  tide  of  that  month. 

4.  The  plumb  line  from  the  top  of  the  Washington 
monument  indicates  that  the  force  of  the  sun  is  sufficient 
to  throw  the  plumb  bob  and  line  west  in  the  morning  and 
east  in  the  evening.     The  sun's  positive  magnetic  force 
goes  through  and  through  the  stone,  brick  and  mortar, 
and  all  known  substances,  and  throws  the  plumb  bob  and 
line  as  described  in  the  report  of  the  keeper  of  the  monu- 
ment. 

5.  Prof.  Beck,  in  his  "  Chemistry,"  page  84,  makes 
this  assertion :  "  Magnetic  force  is  exerted  in  vacuo  as 
well  as  in   open  air,"  and  without  any  sensible  loss  of 
force. 

6.  The  history  of  all  comets  goes  to  show  that  there 
is  a  repulsive  force  in  the  sun,  which  repels  their  tails 
away  from  it. 

7.  The  barometer  shows  a  small  fluctuation  when  the 
ships  of  the  ocean  are  sailing  beneath  the  nadir  of  the  sun 
or  moon — so  record  the  log  books  of  the  ships,  and  the 
United  States  and  European  signal  stations. 

8.  The   sun's   repulsive   force    is    manifested  in  the 


Of  tlie  Bible.  53 

eccentricities  of  the  south  pole  of  the  earth — being  so 
low.  This  force  strikes  the  earth  so  far  south,  that  it 
holds  it  in  position  22£  degrees  lower  than  the  north 
pole. 

We  have  other  proofs,  but  the  above  are  sufficient  for 
this  article. 


SEVENTH  MYSTERY. 

ELECTRICITY. 

Electricity  is  the  outer  manifestation  of  Magnetism. 
In  our  two  former  articles  on  "  The  Mechanism  of  the 
Tides"  and  "The  Science  of  the  Magnetic  Current,"  we 
had  supposed  that  we  left  but  little  room  to  present  "  The 
Source  of  Earth's  Electricity."  But  the  subject  has  grown 
as  we  have  sought  to  simplify  it.  Earth's  electricity  is 
now  a  subject  widely  discussed,  and  is  presumed  to  be 
understood  by  all  classes  of  students  and  readers;  but 
there  are  various  opinions  and  speculations  in  regard  to 
the  "  SOURCES,"  and  the  height  and  depth  of  this  import- 
ant power  found  hid  in  all  nature.  Johnson,  in  his  "  Uni- 
versal Encyclopaedia,"  just  issued,  remarks  that  "all  are 
familiar  with  the  existence  of  electrical  disturbances  in 
the  atmosphere,  but  their  CAUSE  is  rather  a  conjecture 
than  knowledge" 

Beck,  in  his "  Chemistry,"  says  the  term  "  electricity," 
applied  to  the  unknown  cause  of  a  peculiar  kind  of  at- 


54  Magnetic  Astronomy 

traction,  is  derived  from  the  Greek  word  electorn,  amber, 
because  the  electric  property  was  first  noticed  in  this 
substance,  i.  e.,  amber.  And  he  gives  the  following  six 
divisions  of  the  subject:  1,  *' Excitation."  2,  "  Attrac- 
tion." 3,  "  Repulsion."  4,  "  Distribution."  5,  "  Trans- 
ference." 6,  "Induction."  Most  of  the  philosophers 
agree  with  Beck. 

Theories  of  Electricity. — The  theory  first  proposed  is 
ascribed  to  Duffy,  that  there  are  two  subtle  fluids  in  all 
nature.  The  second  theory  is  that  proposed  by  Franklin, 
then  Ampere  of  France,  as  having  one  fluid ;  but  in  prac- 
tice the  two  are  blended  in  one. 

Electrical  Conductors. — The  metals  are  usually  consid- 
ered the  best  conductors,  and  after  these  we  can  reckon 
charcoal,  salt  water,  and  living  animals.  The  most  im- 
portant non-conductors  are  gum  lac,  amber,  sealing  wax, 
sulphur,  glass,  silk,  feathers,  dry  air,  baked  wood,  and 
oils.  Johnson  gives  various  experiments  too  numerous  to 
mention.  When  smooth  glass  is  rubbed  by  any  substance 
except  cat's  fur  it  becomes  positive,  and  the  rubber  neg- 
ative ;  but  if  it  is  rubbed  with  this  substance,  the  glass 
becomes  negative  and  the  fur  positive.  Sealing-wax  be- 
comes negative  when  rubbed  by  any  substance  except  a 
piece  of  rough  glass  or  sulphur,  both  of  which  communi- 
cate to  it  the  positive  electricity.  When  paper  and  seal- 
ing-wax are  rubbed  together,  the  paper  becomes  positive 
and  the  wax  negative,  and  when  paper  and  smooth  glass 


Of  the  Bible.  55 

are  rubbed  together,  the  positive  fluid  goes  to  the  glass, 
and  the  negative  to  the  paper. 

The  Electric  Fluid  resides  upon  the  surface  of  Bodies. 
— The  electric  fluid  or  fluids  reside  entirely  upon  the  sur- 
face of  bodies,  as  a  hollow  sphere  of  gold  is  capable  of 
containing  just  as  much  electricity  as  if  it  were  solid. 
Indeed,  it  seems  to  be  retained  merely  by  the  pressure  of 
the  atmosphere,  since  if  an  insulated  body  be  erected  and 
placed  under  the  receiver  of  the  air-pump,  it  loses  its  elec- 
tricity almost  instantly  when  the  air  is  exhausted. 

Induction  means  a  Power  to  distribute  itself  in  all 
Nature. — When  an  electrified  body  is  brought  near  an- 
other which  is  unelectrified,  the  natural  electricity  of  the 
latter  is  distributed  by  the  influence  of  that  accumulated 
in  the  former,  and  the  term  induction  is  used  to  indicate 
the  general  phenomena  that  ensue. 

Atmospheric  Electricity. — The  atmosphere,  when  in  a 
dry  state,  is  a  non-conductor ;  consequently  it  is  capable 
of  retaining  either  of  the  electric  fluids  communicated  to 
it ;  and  different  portions  of  it,  or  different  strata,  may  be 
in  different  electrical  states  at  the  same  time.  This  we 
know  by  experiment  is  often  the  case. 

Usually,  in  fair  weather  the  air  near  the  surface  is  pos- 
itive, and  it  increases  as  we  ascend,  while  the  surface  of 
the  earth  beneath  is  negative. 

In  stormy  weather  the  air  near  the  surface  is  some- 
times positive  and  sometimes  negative  ;  and  not  unfre- 


V    v  VM  mm  mm 


56  Magnetic  Astronomy 

quently  sudden  changes  take  place  from  one  state  to  the 
other. 

Professor  Beck  says : 

Origin  of  Atmospheric  Electricity. — It  has  not  been 
satisfactorily  determined  by  what  means  the  electricity  of 
the  atmosphere  is  developed.  Various  causes  have  been  as- 
signed, as  the  evaporation  that  is  constantly  taking  place 
at  the  surface,  and  the  condensation  of  vapors  in  the  upper 
regions  of  the  atmosphere  ;  but  recent  investigations  ren- 
der it  probable  that  it  is  occasioned  by  the  friction  of 
currents  of  air  against  each  other,  and  against  the  earth, 
and  also  against  particles  of  matter  and  other  substances 
which  are  always  floating  in  it.  Consequently,  vivid 
lightnings  usually  attend  the  eruptions  of  volcanoes,  es- 
pecially in  those  cases  in  which  immense  columns  of  black 
smoke,  composed  of  dust  and  ashes,  are  belched  forth 
into  the  air.  This  lightning  is  also  often  attended  by 
thunder. 

The  clouds,  which  are  only  masses  of  aqueous  vapor, 
partially  condensed  by  the  cold  of  the  upper  strata  of  the 
atmosphere,  being  tolerably  good  conductors,  serve  to 
collect  the  free  electricity  of  the  atmosphere,  and  there- 
fore often  become  highly  excited,  and  discharge  their 
electricity  from  one  to  another,  or  to  the  earth,  producing 
all  the  phenomena  of  thunder  and  lightning. 

Buchan,  in  his  Meteorology,  remarks:  For  elucidation 
of  the  important  question  here  raised  more  magnetic  ob- 
servations are  required,  so  that  synchronous  magnetic 


Of  the  Bible.  67 

charts  might  be  made  for  comparison  of  one  portion  of  the 
world  with  another. 

Earth  and  Atmosphere. — It  has  been  found  that  the 
atmosphere  always  contains  electricity,  which  is  almost 
invariably  positive.  When  the  sky  is  cloudless  the  elec- 
tricity is  always  positive,  but  the  intensity  varies  with  the 
height,  being  greatest  in  the  highest  and  most  isolated 
situations.  Positive  electricity  is  only  found  at  a  certain 
height  above  the  ground ;  on  flat  ground  it  becomes  man- 
ifest "  at  a  height  of  five  feet."  In  relation  to  the  air,  the 
earth's  surface  is  always  negative  ;  the  electricity  of  the 
air  increases  with  the  height.  It  is  not  found  in  houses, 
in  streets,  or  under  trees.  The  negative  is  found  almost 
always  during  heavy  rains.  The  electricity  of  the  atmos- 
phere is  stronger  in  winter  than  summer,  increasing  from 
June  to  January,  and  decreasing  from  January  to  June. 
It  is  subject  to  a  double  maximum  and  minimum  each  day. 

Source  of  Electricity. — Professor  Buchan  has  given 
to  us  a  number  of  sources,  to  wit : 

1st. — Evaporation.  When  impure  water  is  evaporated, 
none  whatever  being  produced  by  evaporation  of  pure 
water. 

2nd. — Vegetable.  From  the  evaporation  going  on,  by 
which  the  water  is  separated  from  the  sap  of  the  plant. 

3rd. — Combustion.     During  fires,  volcanoes,  etc. 

4th. — Friction.     By  the  wind  on  terrestrial  objects. 

Conclusions  ~by  Professor  Buchan  upon  Magnetism 
and  Electricity. — But  great  difference  of  opinion  exists 


58  Magnetic  Astronomy 

in  regard  to  the  electricity  of  the  atmosphere,  and  many 
of  the  phenomena,  especially  those  observed  during 
storms,  have  not  been  explained.  A  sufficient  number  of 
trustworthy  observations  are  greatly  to  be  desired.  And 
not  till  some  instrument  has  been  devised,  of  such  descrip- 
tion that  the  observations  made  with  it  in  different  places 
may  be  comparable  with  each  other,  and  the  price  be  at 
the  same  time  no  barrier  to  its  general  use  as  a  meteoro- 
logical instrument,  can  we  hope  to  be  in  a  position  u  ade- 
quately to  investigate  the  subject" — namely,  the  source 
of  earth's  electricity. 

We  provide  the,  u  Instrument" — The  instrument  we 
present  is  the  following,  and  the  "price  is  no  barrier  to 
its  general  use  as  a  meteorological  instrument." 

The  Sun  is  a  Magnetic  Instrument  to  supply  the  Source 
of  Electricity. — The  source  of  the  electro-magnetic  moun- 
tains is  found  to  be  situated  south  of  the  earth's  equator 
2/3  degrees.  This  is  the  plain  traversed  by  the  centripetal 
force  of  the  sun's  monthly  libation  in  latitude,  and  this 
warm  belt  of  the  earth  extends  around  the  globe.  This 
is  a  positive  electric  magnetic  plain,  warmed  and  fired  up 
by  the  power  of  the  sun,  until  it  looks  like  a  sea  of  glass 
mingled  with  fire. 

The  centrifugal  force  of  the  moon's  nadir  is  on  the 
earth's  equator,  so  that  this  electro-magnetic  belt  is  passed 
beneath  the  moon's  nadir  from  east  to  west ;  and  to  the 
casual  observer  the  gentle  falling  and  rising  of  the  waves 
all  the  long  night  is  all  that  is  felt  or  known.  But  let  us 


iin 
Of  the  Bible.  59 

examine  closely,  by  our  barometer,  and  we  find  that  the 
rotation  of  the  earth  and  seas  beneath  the  nadir  of  the 
moon  has  riven  its  equatorial  belt  into  two  mighty  elec- 
trical plains;  and  that  the  demonstration  has  been  such, 
that  the  lowering  and  lifting  seas  have  so  operated  upon 
these  two  magnetic,  positive  electromagnetic  atmosphere 
rests  upon  them,  it  is  like  the  lifting  of  two  mighty  bel- 
lows, that  is,  one  pointed  north  and  the  other  south. 
These  waves  of  impulse  are  borne  on  the  wings  of  the 
wave,  a  shore  is  reached,  where  the  waves  spend  their 
fury  along  the  sea-shore. 

But  not  so  with  the  electro-magnetic  power :  it  gains 
power  as  the  conductor  (salt  water)  laps  the  sandy  beach 
or  the  boulders  all  along  the  bounds  of  the  sea,  and  has 
by  moisture  and  the  motion  of  the  wave  the  electro-mag- 
netic power  to  toss  mid-air  the  electro-magnetic  current, 
and  by  the  moisture  of  the  sea  breezes  it  is  wafted  to  the 
plains  and  mountains  on  to  the  poles  of  the  earth  north 
and  south. 

CONCLUSIONS. 

1.  That  until  now  the  source  of  electricity,  science  of 
the  magnetic  current,  and  the  cause  of  the  ebb  and  flow 
of  the  tides  have  not  been  accounted  for  correctly  in  the 
arts  and  sciences. 

2.  That  the  mechanism  of  the  spheres  are  such — heat, 
moisture,  motion,  and  friction — as  to  produce  an  electro- 
magnetic power  that  brings  to  us  the  tides,  the  magnetic 
currents,  and  earth's  electricity. 


60        •  Magnetic  Astronomy 

3.  That  at  midday,  when  the  sun  and  moon  are  on  the 
meridian  at  the  same  time,  then  is  the  maximum  of  elec- 
tro-magnetic power,  and  also  at  that  time  the  "  tides  "  are 
"large  tides.''9 

4.  That  upon  the  equatorial  belt  is  found  almost  per- 
petual rain,  thunder,  and  herculaneous  hurricanes,  so  that 
those  unseen  powers  are  sure  to  come  to  us  north,  and 
also  forty-five  degrees  south  of  the  equator,  as  rain  upon 
the  mountain  will  flow  down  upon  the  plain. 

Connection  between  Electricity  and  Magnetism. — That 
there  is  an  intimate  connection  between  electricity  and 
magnetism  was  established  by  Oersted's  experiment.  It 
is  further  shown  by  the  fact  that  compass-needles  often 
have  their  poles  reversed  or  their  polarity  weakened  by 
lightning;  that  a  spark  has  been  drawn  from  a  magnet  ; 
that  a  charge  of  electricity  passed  through  a  needle  ren- 
ders it  magnetic ;  that  an  iron  bar  may  be  permanently 
magnetized  with  an  electric  current  more  efficiently  than 
in  any  other  way.  These  facts  have  led  to  the  theory  that 
electricity  is  not  an  independent  agent,  but  simply  one  of 
the  forms  assumed  under  certain  circumstances  by  that 
polarizing  force  which  is  most  commonly  exhibited  in  its 
action  on  the  molecules  of  ordinary  matter  we  call  electric- 
ity. 

We  add  that  the  books  teach  that  the  earth  is  a  "  dis- 
tant magnet."  This  is  like  the  heaven  of  many  minds,  a 
distant  heaven,  when  it  is  at  home,  where  love  is.  So  is 
the  great  and  mighty  power  of  earth's  electricity :  it  is 


Of  tke  Bible.  61 

found  at  home,  and  has  become  obedient  to  man.  When 
it  is  awakened  by  motion,  and  the  reins  so  applied  to  it,  we 
may  harness  it  with  electro-magnetic  motive  power,  so  as 
to  whisper  the  news  of  peace  and  plenty  found  in  the  land 
of  the  working  free  ;  and  also  to  thunder  eternal  war 
against  tyranny  and  oppression.  In  the  short  space  of 
an  hour  it  becomes  the  means  of  news  to  a  moving  world. 
We  are  of  the  opinion  of  Franklin,  that  magnetism  and 
electricity  are  one  and  the  same  thing,  sleeping  in  all 
nature,  both  terrestrial  and  celestial ;  and  that  heat  and 
cold,  wet  and  dry,  together  with  motion,  when  they  are 
all  combined  and  located  aright,  of  a  truth  will  set  in 
motion  the  nimble  lightning  flash  around  the  world  in  a 
few  moments  of  time.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  what 
electricity  is  to  celestial  mechanics,  a  manifestation  of  ce- 
lestial power,  the  same  as  the  steam  is  to  an  engine,  and 
this  power  is  "  magnetic  "  sun  power. 


CHAPTER  V. 
THE  SEASONS  AND  RAINFALLS. 

"  He  appointeth  the  Moon  for  seasons  ;  the  Sun  know- 
eth  his  going  down." — Psalm  104. 

"And  God  said,  Let  there  be  lights  in  the  firmament  of 
Heaven  to  divide  the  day  ;  and  let  them  be  for  signs, 
and  for  seasons,  and  for  days,  and  for  years." — Genesis 
1:14. 

LIGHTS    IN   THE    FIRMAMENT. 

Thus  lights  in  the  firmament  means  in  this  connection 
those  stars  that  are  associated  with  the  night,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  making  night  inviting,  and  to  cheer  those  who 
are  compelled  to  watch  or  travel  after  the  sun  has  sef; 
like  the  shepherds  who  watched  their  flocks  on  Judea's 
plain,  that  memorable,  never-to-be-forgotten  night,  when 
they  found  Mary  with  the  Son  of  God  in  the  manger 
within  the  City  of  Jerusalem.  As  for  Daylight,  the 
reader  will  find  that  subject  treated  upon  page  106  in  this 
volume. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  by  these  two  texts  of  the  Bible 
that  we  have  the  following  leading  divisions  of  time  and 
place,  that  are  appointed  by  a  Master  hand : 

62 


Of  the  Bible.  03 

1st.     The  firmament  and  light. 

2d.     Days  and  years. 

3d.      Signs  and  for  seasons. 

1st.  The  firmament  is  as  we  suppose  the  first  Heaven. 
Paul  says  that  he  went  up  to  the  "•  third  Heaven."  The 
first  to  us  is  that  part  of  the  upper  aerial  heavens  that 
may  be  termed  the  centripetal,  and  also  perhaps  the  sta- 
tic forces. 

And  again,  the  firmament  is  also  that  great  and  un- 
bounded space  that  is  filled  with  that  life-giving  substance 
called  the  earth's  atmosphere ;  whose  components  are 
many. 

But  we  propose  to  say  that  the  atmosphere  is  capable 
of  receiving  and  also  of  distributing  the  "  Electro  Mag- 
netic Force  "  in  all  its  forms. 

"The  Positive  and  the  Negative." 

"The  Attractive  and  Repulsive." 

"  The  Centripetal  and  the  Centrifugal  Forces." 

All  these  three  forces  and  their  several  divisions,  as 
stated  above,  are  Celestial  and  scientific  parts  of  the  fir- 
mament. 

These  three  forces  are  in  harmony,  so  that  they  balance 
each  other  nicely,  in  our  atmosphere,  except  amid  wind^, 
clouds,  and  storms.  When  the  upper  clouds  of  the 
atmosphere  also  lower,  gather  much  of  the  positive,  then 
may  be  heard  the  rumbling  of  the  "chariot  wheels,"  or 
the  thunder  of  God's  power. 


64  Magnetic  Astronomy 

These  times  correspond  with  those  mentioned  in  Job 
26: 14  :  "  But  the  thunder  of  his  power,  who  can  under- 
stand ?  "  But  these  several  forces  are  interlaced  and  yet 
combined  with  the  earth's  atmosphere,  so  they  become  a 
kind  of  homeogenous  whole  all  around  the  earth,  making 
a  complete  atmospheric  whole.  This  atmospheric  whole 
is  said  to  weigh  16^  pounds  to  the  square  inch  at  the  sea 
level.  And  all  this  extent  and  power  is  so  clear  and 
transparent  that  it  cannot  be  seen  by  the  human  sight. 

Prof.  Ol instead  is  of  the  opinion  that  it  is  25,000  miles 
out  to  the  line  where  the  centrifugal  force  of  the  earth's 
atmosphere  is  dissipated.  Earth  and  Venus  are  about 
the  same  size,  and  such  mighty  spheres  as  these  two 
make,  in  their  atmospheric  motion,  in  passing  each  other, 
they  produce  a  disturbance  that  is  inconceivable  in  its 
power,  insomuch  that  it  is  observed  when  it  is  winter 
north  of  Venus  it  is  summer  north  of  the  Earth,  and 
vice  versa. 

But  right  here  let  us  say  that  the  rains  fall  in  spots  in 
California,  and  in  many  valleys  between  this  State  and 
Mexico  the  atmospheric  stratas  become  bridges,  which 
completely  bridge  those  valleys ;  so  much  so  that  long 
drouth  and  famine,  with  death  of  stock,  often  occur. 

But  it  is  an  open  question:  Do  the  planets  o[  any 
kind  affect  the  rainfall  ?  Some  physicists  say  no  ;  others 
say  yes.  We  take  the  affirmative  side  of  the  question, 
and  say  yes,  yes,  as  a  general  rule  they  do ;  but  the  ex- 
ceptions are  small,  taken  as  a  whole  the  year  round. 


Of  the  Bible.  C5 

But  we  will  allow  the  planets  to  speak  for  themselves. 
The  planet  Mercury  and  also  Venus  we  shall  call  upon 
as  our  two  first  witnesses.  We  have  observed  that  when 
both  of  them  were  near  together,  and  were  north  of 
Earth's  equator,  and  the  Moon  changed  about  the  same 
time,  clouds  appear,  and  a  decided  meteorological  freak  is 
felt  in  the  valleys,  and  soon  rain  is  falling  in  the  back 
country  first. 

But  even  on  the  west  side  of  the  San  Joaquin  River  we 
obtain  much  of  our  ruins  on  those  aspects  of  the  planets. 
And  one  fact  is  worthy  of  note.  That  when  Venus  is 
lurking  between  us  and  the  Sun,  is  our  winter  north  of 
the  Earth's  equator.  And  then  it  is  summer  on  the 
north  of  Venus,  and  vice  versa. 

So  this  would  imply  that  Venus,  by  the  assistance  of 
little  Mercury,  rules  the  season.  But  wait !  Don't  let 
us  prove  too  much,  for  we  want  to  collect  pay  for  the 
planets  Mars,  Jupiter,  and  Saturn. 

THE    DAYS    AND    YEARS. 

Our  school  books  give  to  us  glowing  accounts  of  the 
days.  Also  of  the  four  divisions  of  the  year,  i.  e.,  Spring, 
Summer,  Autumn  and  Winter.  They  rehearse  how  beau- 
tiful it  all  is. 

But  what  caused  it  all.  No  one  knows.  Only  in  the 
winter  it  snows,  and  yet  no  one  knows  why  it  is  so  cold. 
But  you,  Miss  Venus,  you  planet  of  love  and  beauty,  you 
stand  aside  and  let  that  smart,  fitful  Mars  with  his  red 


66  Magnetic  Astronomy 

face  come  on  the  stand  as  a  witness.  But,  please  the 
Court,  here  is  a  fellow  who  has  rather  a  bad  name. 
Please  question  him  about  the  rain  in  California  ?  "  Well, 
Mr.  Mars,  what  do  you  know  about  the  rain-fall  in  Cali- 
fornia?'' Mars  knits  his  brow,  and  at  first  shakes  his  red 
head.  The  Judge  frowns,  and  Mars  shifts  his  quid  and 
looks  over  to  Venus  very  wisely,  then  to  Mercury,  then 
California.  "Well,  if  I  mus — must  speak,  /-/excuse 
me,  Judge,  I-I  st-stutter  some.  Well,  I  am  a  long  time 
on  my  beat.  It  takes  two  years  minus  forty-two  days  to 
make-to  make  my  circuit  as  they  call  it  around  the  Sun." 

Judge.— "  Well,  Well,  tell  us  about  the  rain  in  Cali- 
fornia.'' 

u  Yes,  Yes  excuse  me,  I— I  see-see  California  every  day. 
And  soon  after  I  pass  the  Sun  it  rains  in  California  and 
all  around  my  beat;  so  that  when  I  am  east  of  the  Sun  it 
is  always  a  rainy  season  that  year.  But  when  I  am  on 
the  other  side  of  the  Sun  the  rains  miss  California  some- 
times, not  always,  for  my  neighbor  Jupiter,he  helps  Cali- 
fornia out  sometimes." 

On  March  the  17th,  1871,  we  collected  some  of  the 
amounts  of  rainfall  at  the  two  points  of  Jupiter, — that  is, 
his  conjunction  and  his  opposition  to  the  Sun,  and  the  years 
of  those  points,  with  the  amount  of  rainfall  in  those  years. 


Of  the  Bible.  67 

YEARS  OF   JUPITER'S   CONJUNCTION   AND   OPPOSITION. 

1850 36  inches. 

1856 ,14  " 

1862 35  « 

1868 23  « 

1874 22  « 

1880 24  « 

1886 32  « 

1891 24  «       probably 

This  year,  1892,  Jupiter  was  in  opposition  to  the  Sun 
October  12th. 

And  Neptune,  he  was  in  opposition  to  the  Sun  Dec. 
1st,  1892.  This  was  made  to  1893. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  Jupiter  of  12  years,  Neptune 
of  164,  are  both  of  a  long  period,  and  Mars  a  short 
period.  All  of  them  are  east  of  the  Sun  at  this  time, 
December  9th,  1892. 


CHAPTER  VI. 
THE  PLANETS. 

NUMBER    AND    NAMES    OF    PRINCIPAL    PLANETS. 

Mercury,  Venus,  Earth,  Mars,  Jupiter,  Saturn,  Uranus, 
and  Neptune. 

Uranus  and  Neptune  have  been  discovered  during  the 
last  hundred  years.  And  also,  there  are  now  known  to 
be  85  small  planets,  called  Asteroids,  revolving  between 
Mars  and  Jupiter. 

MERCURY. 

The  planet  Mercury  is  the  nearest  one  to  the  Sun. 

Its  diameter  is  about  3,000  miles.  Mercury  revolves 
on  an  axis  from  west  to  east  in  24  hours  5  minutes  and 
28  seconds.  And  it  revolves  about  the  Sun  in  a  few  minutes 
less  than  88  days.  And  it  is  the  most  dense  of  all  the 
planets,  and  is  therefore  rightly  "named.  Mercury  is  very 
heavy. 

Mercury  can  be  seen  best  in  March  and  April,  August 
and  September.  The  greatest  distance  it  departs  from 
the  Sun  varies  from  16°  12'  to  28°  20'  alternately.  It 
sometimes  passes  over  the  disk  of  the  Sun,  and  that  is 
called  the  Transit  of  Mercury. 

68 


Of  the  Bible.  69 

VENUS. 

Venus  is  the  second  planet  from  the  Sun  ;  it  shines  as 
the  brightest  star  in  the  firmament;  she  is  alternately 
Morning  and  Evening  Star.  And  she  revolves  about  the 
Sun  from  west  to  east  in  224f  days,  at  a  distance  said  to 
be  66,000,000  miles  from  the  Sun. 

She  turns  around  on  her  axis  in  23  hours  and  21  min- 
utes. Her  orbit  is  within  that  of  the  Earth. 

The  diameter  of  Venus  is  about  7,500  miles  ;  Mercury 
and  Venus  are  called  interior  planets,  because  their  orbits 
are  between  the  Earth  and  the  Sun. 

Venus,  like  Mercury,  is  sometimes  in  transit  with  the 
Sun.  And  as  her  node  months  are  in  December  and 
June,  it  follows  that  all  her  transits  must  occur  in  these 
months.  Dr.  Herschel  estimates  Venus  to  be  8,649  miles, 
making  her  bulk  one-sixth  larger  than  the  Earth.  Some 
astronomers  have  asserted  that  they  had  discovered  that 
Venus  had  a  moon.  I  think  the  Earth  is  in  connection 
with  Venus  as  a  binary  system  ;  our  Moon  answers  for 
the  two. 

THE    EARTH. 

The  Earth  is  the  place  where  we  live,  and  its  atmos- 
phere is  the  house  we  live  in,  and,  as  our  readers  know  as 
much  as  we  do  by  the  school  books,  we  shall  only  give 
them  some  account  of  what  we  have  observed  and  learnt 
that  is  not  found  in  the  books  of  our  youthful  readers. 


70  Magnetic  Astronomy 

In  a  careful  measurement  of  the  Earth  it  is  found  to  be 
a  trifle  flattened  at  the  two  poles,  called  a  spheroid. 
Around  the  equator  north  and  south  it  is  7,927,  and  east 
and  west  7,899  miles.  This  is  only  28  miles  as  the  dif- 
ference of  the  two  measurements. 

The  Earth  as  a  planet  occupies  a  favorable  position  in 
the  solar  system.  It  pleased  the  All-Wise  Creator  to 
place  the  Earth  in  one  of  the  most  central  spots  for  ob- 
servation to  be  found. 

It  moves  around  the  Sun  in  365  days  5  hours  48  min- 
utes and  4  seconds  ;  and  its  distance  is  estimated  to  be 
91,500,000  miles  from  the  Sun. 

MARS. 

Mars  is  the  first  of  the  exterior  planets,  its  orbit  lying 
out  beyond  that  of  the  earth,  while  those  of  Mercury  and 
Venus  are  within.  Its  diameter  is  4,300  miles  ;  his  time 
around  the  Sun  686  days,  23  hours,  30  minutes  and  41 
seconds ;  and  his  distance  is  computed  to  be  140,000,000 
of  miles  from  the  Sun.  Mars  is  of  a  ruddy  color,  and  is 
2  years  of  our  time  lacking  54  days  in  his  orbit. 

From  what  we  know  of  Mars  by  his  being  almost  a 
year  west  and  then  east  of  the  Sun,  we  conclude  that  the 
effects  of  the  earth's  storms,  etc.,  as  we  shall  speak  of 
him  in  this  respect  in  our  article  upon  the  Seasons. 

Mars  was  called  the  God  of  War  by  Rome  and  Greece ; 
so  that  they  could  have  some  excuse  for  redressing  pre- 
sumed or  real  wrongs,  or  flogging  an  enemy. 


Of  the  Bible.  71 

THINGS    THAT    ARE    SEEN    WITH    OUR   EYES. 

The  Sun  is  the  largest  of  the  things  that  are  seen  ;  and 
its  power  is  also  the  most  potent  of  all  other  power. 
Herschel  concluded  that  the  "  Sun"  was  an  opaque  body 
like  the  earth  ;  and  some  other  astronomers  also  coincide 
with  his  conclusions. 

Burritt  and  Mattherson  say  that  the  Sun  is  a  vast  globe 
in  the  center  of  the  solar  system,  dispensing  light  and 
heat  to  all  the  planets,  and  governing  all  their  motions. 

The  diameter  of  the  Sun  is  estimated  to  be  853,000 
miles,  and  its  centrifugal  positive  magnetic  force  is  30 
times  its  diameter  of  solid  surface.  The  atmospherical, 
and  its  centripetal,  and  also  its  positive  magnetic  force  is 
as  much  a  part  of  the  Sun  as  its  molecular  form.  So 
says  Prof.  Warren,  D.D.,  and  others. 

The  Sun  in  its  molecular  form  contains  a  volume  of 
nearly  thirteen  hundred  thousand  globes  the  size  of  the 
earth  ;  and  it  is  now  estimated  to  be  91,500,000  miles  dis- 
tance from  the  earth,  and  dark  spots  are  seen  passing 
across  its  disc. 

The  Sun-spots  were  first  seen  by  Galileo  in  1611,  and 
also  by  Schener.  Harriot  and  Fabreons  observed  them 
about  the  same  time,  and  in  1625  upwards  of  fifty  spots 
were  seen  at  once  upon  the  face  of  the  Sun. 

In  1799  Dr.  Herschel  observed  one  spot  on  the  Sun 
supposed  to  be  about  30,000  miles  in  breadth.  From 


72  Magnetic  Astronomy 

these  spots  Sir  W.  Herschel  supposed  the  Sun  a  solid 
dark  body,  surrounded  by  a  vast  atmosphere  almost  al- 
ways filled  with  clouds,  and  occasionally  opening  and  dis- 
closing its  "'opaque  body." 

The  opinion  of  Laplace  was  different.  He  supposed 
the  solar  orb  to  be  a  mass  of  fire,  and  the  violent  efferves- 
cence and  explosion  supposed  to  be  seen  on  its  surface  to 
be  occasioned  by  the  eruptions  of  elastic  fluids  from  its 
interior  ;  and  the  spots  to  be  open  craters  and  quakes  like 
those  of  earth. 

The  similarity  of  the  Sun  to  other  globes  of  the  sys- 
tem, in  its  solidity,  atmosphere,  surface,  diversified  with 
mountains  and  valleys,  and  its  "  Rotation,"  about  26 
days  has  led  to  the  conjecture  that  the  Sun  is  inhabited, 
like  the  Earth. 

"  Such  was  the  opinion  of  Dr.  Herschel,  who  observed 
it  with  the  most  powerful  telescopes  of  his  time,  for  a 
period  of  fifteen  years.  Such,  too,  was  the  opinion  of 
Dr.  Elliott,  who  attributes  to  the  Sun  the  most  delightful 
scenery.  Hence,  inhabited  by  mortals." 

The  opinion  of  such  men  as  these,  and  believing  as  we 
do  in  the  economy  of  Nature  to  prepare  for  all  intelli- 
gences past,  present  and  to  come  ;  so  we  conclude  with 
these  experts  with  their  telescope,  looking  into  the  mys- 
tery of  the  Sun,  it  is  inhabited,  and  Love,  God  and 
Heaven  are  there. 

There  are  many,  who  with  the  French  astronomer  La- 
place, believe  that  the  Sun  is  a  moving  sea  of  flaming 


Of  the  Bible.  73 

fire,  from  the  fact  that  its  heat  is  so  intense  after  passing 
through  space,  and  heating  up  the  Earth's  equator,  and 
the  torrid  zones  upon  either  side  of  that  line. 

But  the  91,500,000  miles  distance  to  the  Sun  is  the 
best  proof  against  the  Laplace  theory  of  a  hot  Sun. 
For  heat  arid  light  diminish  sooner  than  the  square  of  the 
distance,  and  the  Sun  would  also  diminish  in  time.  But 
not  so :  the  Sun  is  eternal,  as  are  Love,  Heaven  and  God  ; 
and  light  is  caused  by  the  repulsion  of  the  sphere  against 
the  Sun's  positive  magnetic  force. 

The  conclusions  of  Dr.  Herschel  and  other  astronomers 
confirm  the  mind  of  the  writer,  that  Light  is  the  product 
of  magnetic  motion,  or  we  might  say  Light,  Heat  and 
Electricity  are  the  products  of  our  new  discovered  force, 
Positive  Magnetic  Power. 

Rule  1. — The  law  of  magnetic  force  has  been  tested 
and  readjusted ;  and  the  conclusion  that  admits  of  this 
is  the  Rule  or  law  that  two  magnetic  Positives  Repel 
each  other,  and  produce  light  to  the  spheres  by  the  free 
electricity  that  exists  in  the  abounding  atmosphere ;  and 
also  it  may  be  gathered  up  by  magnetic  movements. 

This  newly  applied  force  of  California  birth  is  Positive 
Magnetic,  and  is  the  Suns  Positive  Magnetic  Centrifu- 
gal Force,  pushing  its  efficient  and  its  God-like  power  and 
adaptation  to  the  wants  of  all  Nature  into  the  inanimate 
and  also  all  animated  nature,  or  to  the  most  distant  star 
or  nebula.  This  magnetic  force  is  apparent,  as  the  stars 
send  back  to  us  the  sparkling  of  their  twinkling  rays  of 


74  Magnetic  Astronomy 

light,  which  is  produced  by  their  rotary  motion  in  space 
against  the  Sun's  Centrifugal  Force. 

THE   ASTEROIDS    OR   TELESCOPIC    PLANETS. 

The  first  of  these  was  discovered  January  1st,  1801,  by 
Piazzi  at  Palnur.  The  first  was  called  Ceres  ;  and  three 
others  have  been  known  since  1807.  More  than  one 
hundred  of  these  small  planets  have  been  discovered  since 
1807. 

We  shall  hasten  on  in  this  small  but  still  important 
part  of  our  history,  to  those  that  can  be  seen  by  the  eye, 
without  a  telescope,  as  our  object  is  to  first  show  in  astron- 
omy the  things  that  are  seen,  so  the  masses  can  see  and 
know  for  themselves  God's  mighty  works. 

JUPITER. 

Jupiter  is  next  outside  the  Asteroids,  and  the  largest  of 
all  the  planets  belonging  to  the  solar  system.  When  near 
the  earth,  it  is  in  appearance  nearly  as  large  as  Venus, 
although  it  is  more  than  seven  times  her  distance  from 
the  sun ;  and  he  is,  therefore,  traceable  among  the  con- 
stellations of  the  Zodiac  ;  and  its  time  being  about  12 
years,  it  is  seen  in  one  constellation  as  its  sheen  for  a 
whole  year. 

As  we  said,  he  makes  his  journey  around  the  sun  in  12 
years,  minus  41  days,  at  a  mean  distance  of  475,000,000 
miles  from  the  sun.  He  revolves  on  his  axis  in  9  hours, 
55  minutes  arid  50  seconds,  so  that  his  days  and  nights 


Of  the  Bible,  75 

are  each  about  5  hours.     His  rapid  motion    makes   him 
flatter  at  the  poles  than  are  the  earth's  poles. 

The  true  diameter  is  85,390  miles,  or  eleven  times 
greater  than  -the  earth  ;  and  as  his  inclination  is  but  small, 
his  davs  and  nights  are  nearly  the  same  length.  He  has 

*  S  J  O 

five  moons  to  distribute  his  magnetic  resources. 

There  are  a  number  of  new  and  important  points  that 
present  themselves  to  us  that  are  not  found  in  the  Astro- 
nomical works.  The  first  is,  that  there  is  an  importance 
attached  to  the  variety  and  number  of  moons  to  a  planet 
like  Saturn  or  Jupiter,  and  an  All-Wise  Builder  has  sup- 
plied that  demand. 

For  around  Saturn  are  found  eight,  and  around  Jupiter 
there  &YQ  five  discovered  moons.  And  if  we  admit  that 
our  moon  is  a  "  dead  world,"  we  from  analogy  may  sup- 
pose that  these  two  planets  have  sixteen  dead  worlds  at- 
tached to  them ;  and  the  men  who  lecture  on  dead  worlds 
omit  to  inform  us  when  these  dead  appendages  will  drop 
off  as  so  much  fuel  for  the  Sun,  as  some  of  them  suppose 
that  the  Sun's  fuel  is  so  provided. 

To  us  the  dead  world  theory  is  one  of  the  most  bare 
and  uncalled-for  theories  ;  for  it  detracts  much  from  the 
Master  Builder's  wisdom;  but  it  also  adds  to  the  folly  of 
the  minds  of  men  who  would  detract  from  the  divine 
mind  by  any  such  folly  ;  for  with  God  all  is  light  and  life 
and  perfection  of  plan. 

The  several  moons  of  Jupiter  and  Saturn  are  so  many 


76  Magnetic  Astronomy 

magnetic  distributers  to  balk  the  power  of  disease  and 
death  that  would  reign  by  stagnant  water  and  inland  seas, 
without  the  several  moons  to  move  the  ocean,  and  cleanse 
the  unhealthy  shoals  and  pools  of  water. 

SATURN. 

Saturn  is  situated  between  the  orbits  of  Jupiter  and 
Uranus,  and  is  distinctly  visible  to  the  naked  eye.  It  is 
as  large  as  a  star  of  the  first  magnitude,  but  it  is  pale  and 
dull,  and  is  wanting  in  sparkling  rays.  " 

The  mean  daily  motion  among  the  stars  is  only  about 
two  minutes. 

The  mean  distance  of  Saturn  from  the  Sun  is  nearly 
double  that  of  Jupiter,  being  about  872,000,000  miles. 
His  diameter  is  about  70,000  miles ;  his  volume,  therefore, 
is  seven  hundred  times  greater  than  the  Earth  ;  he  is 
twenty-nine  and  one-half  years  completing  his  circuit 
around  the*  Sun,  and  his  rotary  axis  motion  is  made  in  ten 
and  one-half  hours,  making  his  day  only  five  and  one- 
half  hours. 

The  surface  of  Saturn,  like  that  of  Jupiter,  is  diver- 
sified with  belts  and  dark  spots.  Dr.  Herschel  saw  five 
belts  on  his  surface,  three  of  which  were  dark  and  two 
bright.  And  it  has  a  ring  or  zone  around  its  equator 
that  is  brighter  than  the  planet,  and  turns  with  it  at  the 
same  time. 

The  dimensions  of  the  rings  of  Saturn  are  about  as 
follows  : 


Of  the  Bible.  77 

Distance  from  the  .body  of  the  planet 

to  the  first  ring 18,350  miles. 

Width  of  interior  ring 16,500     " 

Space  between  two  rings 2,000      " 

Width  of  outer  ring 10,000     " 

Thickness  of  rings 100     " 

47,550 

The  perodical  time  of  Saturn  being  nearly  thirty  years, 
his  motion  eastward  among  the  stars  is  very  slow,  so  that 
he  is  on  one  sign  two  and  one-half  years.  It  will  be  easy 
therefore,  having  once  ascertained  his  position,  to  watch 
his  slow  progress  east,  year  after  year,  as  he  performs 
his  vast  circuit  around  the  Sun. 

The  diversified  climate,  and  the  gorgeous,  shining  rings 
of  Saturn,  are  such  that  it  is  to  us  about  the  same  as  St. 
John  describes  in  Revelations,  21st  chapter. 

THE   MOONS    OF    SATURN. 

Saturn  has  right  satellites,  or  moons,  revolving  around 
him,  but  they  are  only  seen  by  the  aid  of  a  telescope. 
These  moons  all  revolve  eastward  with  the  rings  of  the 
planets,  and  in  the  same  plane  with  themt 

The  mean  distance  of  the  moons  from  the  planers  center 
is  from  123,000  to  3,366,000  miles,  and  their  period'from 
twenty-two  hours  to  seventy-nine  days,  according  to  their 
distances ;  and  the  most  distant  is  the  largest,  supposed 


78  Magnetic  Astronomy 

to  be  about  the  size  of  Mars ;  and  the  remainder  grow 
smaller  as  they  are  nearer  the  planet. 

From  all  that  is  known  of  Saturn  it  is  positive  that 
there  is  no  planet  in  the  solar  system  whose  firmament 
is  decked  with  such  a  variety  of  light  and  splendor ;  and  its 
variety  of  seasons,  large  plains,  vast  seashores,  and  tower- 
ing mountains  are  the  best  proofs  of  its  magnificence. 
To  us,  it  is  heaven  to  be  there,  for  there  are  seven  times 
seven,  or  forty-nine,  varieties  of  climate  on  Saturn. 

URANUS. 

Uranus  is  the  next  planet  from  the  Sun,  beyond  the 
planet  Saturn.  It  is  of  a  blueish  white,  and  as  small  as 
a  star,  of  the  sixth  magnitude,  so  that  it  is  seldom 
seen,  except  on  good,  clear  nights,  and  in  the  absence  of 
the  Moon.  It  has  no  rings,  belts,  or  spots.  His  periodic 
time  is  84  years  and  27  days.  He  was  discovered  in  1781. 

It  is  remarkable  that  this  planet  was  observed  as  far 
back  as  1690.  It  was  seen  three  times  by  Flamestead, 
once  by  Bradly,  once  by  Mayor,  and  eleven  times  by  Le- 
monnier.  But  not  one  of  them  supposed  it  to  be  a  planet. 
March  13th,  1781,  Dr.  Herschel  discovered  its  motions. 
It  is  computed  to  be  1,750,000,000  miles  from  the  Sun. 

Its  sidereal  motion  is  performed  in  84  years  and  one 
month.  Its  diameter  is  estimated  to  be  33,000  miles, 
and  it  is  known  to  be  attended  by  four  moons  ;  two  of 
them  were  discovered  by  Sir  William  Herschel,  and  the 
others  in  1847,  by  Lassell  and  O.  Struver.  2,  4,  8,  and 
13£  days  is  near  the  time  of  these  moons  above  Uranus. 


Of  the  Bible,  79 

NEPTUNE. 

Neptune  is  the  most  distant  of  all  the  primary  planets 
yet  discovered.  It  is  computed  to  be  about  37,000  miles 
in  diameter,  and  at  a  mean  distance  of  2,746,000  miles 
from  the  Sun,  and  revolves  around  him  in  164£  years. 

The  motions  of  Jupiter  and  Saturn  in  their  orbits 
first  suggested  that  a  large  body  must  be  out  beyond 
Neptune  ;  and  Le  Verrier,  of  Paris,  undertook  a  search 
for  it,  and  he  soon  ascertained  the  disturbing  influence 
upon  Uranus.  He  made  his  account,  and  Le  Verrier 
•wrote  to  his  friend  Dr.  Galle,  of  Berlin,  requiring  him  to 
direct  his  telescope  to  a  certain  point  in  the  heavens. 

He  did  so  ;  and,  to  their  joy,  there  he  lay,  within  one 
degree  of  the  spot  pointed  out  by  M.  Le  Verrier  !  This 
was  on  the  1st  of  September,  1846.  But  it  was  seen  as 
far  back  as  1795,  and  catalogued  among  the  fixed  stars. 
Only  one  moon  has  as  yet  been  discovered  ;  it  revolves 
around  the  planet  in  5|  days,  at  a  distance  of  220,000 
-miles,  and  retrogrades. 


CHAPTER  VII. 
THE  SUN  A  CENTER. 


The  sun  is  called  a  center  in  astronomy :  he  was  called 
Sol  by  the  Romans,  and  Ellious  by  the  Greeks  ;  and  they 
both  adopted  a  shield  as  his  sign  thus  O 

The  sun  is  1,400,000  times  larger  than  our  earth.  He 
rotates  on  what  is  called  his  axis  in  about  25  days  of  our 
time. 

Add  to  this  his  atmosphere,  both  the  centripetal  and 
the  static,  and  then  follow  out  his  centrifugal,  and  it  be- 
comes immeasurable. 

One  of  the  Herschels  studied  the  sun  for  15  years,  with 
one  of  the  best  telescopes  of  his  time,  and  he  concluded 
that  the  sun  is  opaque  like  our  earth,  and  that  it  may  be 
inhabited.  There  are  not  a  few  who  hold  with  Herschel, 
and  to  v/hom  we  would  add  our  name  among  the  number, 
who  would  utilize  the  sun  as  a  homogeneous  maximum 
of  worlds.  But  the  greater  part  of  the  astronomers  of  the 
past  and  of  the  present  call  it  a  vast  consuming  fire. 
Taking  Herschel's  view  of  the  sun,  and  allowing  him  all 
those  silent  and  obvious  forces  and  the  advantageous  con- 
ditions that  crown  our  earthly  abode,  our  mind  revolts  at 

80 


Of  the  Bible.  81 

the  low  conceptions  that  are  taken  by  the  great  majority 
of  astronomers,  that  the  sun  is  a  consuming  fire. 

Time  would  fail  us  to  give  the  names  and  the  vast  heat 
and  light  applied  to  the  force  of  the  sun.  To  us  the  sun 
is  a  vast  "cosmos,"  in  which  the  whole  solar  system  is 
one  combined  whole,  and  so  arranged  that  it  is  a  perpet- 
ual and  an  eternal  fact ;  and  that  its  only  changes  are  in 
the  line  of  betterments,  and  in  the  sanguinary  destruction 
of  sin  and  folly. 

So  that,  taking  the  sun  as  a  whole,  we  must  take  Mer- 
cury, Venus,  Mars,  Jupiter  and  Saturn,  &c.,  &c.,  to  com- 
plete the  compacted  whole  solar  system. 

THE    ZODIAC     OR   THE    PATH    OF    THE    SUN. 

The  historian  who  wrote  the  book  of  Job  has  given  us 
the  Hebrew  word  for  Zodiac,  Mazzaroth.  The  word  zo- 
diac means  sun's  path. 

The  center  of  the  sun's  path  is  called  the  Ecliptic. 
Around  the  whole  heavens,  is  360  degrees.  But  as  one 
name  in  English  is  better  than  all  other  names,  we  shall 
call  it  the  apparent  path  of  the  sun  ;  when  we  refer  it  to 
the  Ecliptic,  we  will  call  it  the  center  of  the  Path  of  the 
Sun. 

The  path  of  the  sun  is  divided  into  twelve  parts  of 
thirty  degrees  each,  completing  the  great  circle  of  the 
heavens  of  360  degrees.  The  Hebrews'  name  for  those 
twelve  signs  of  the  zodiac  were  represented  by  the  twelve 
sons  of  Jacob. 


82  Magnetic  Astronomy 

The  Greek  and  Latin  were  men,  beasts,  birds  and 
reptiles. 

But  to  simplify  the  twelve  signs  we  shall,  for  the  pres- 
ent, use  the  names  of  the  twelve  months  of  the  year. 
And  from  the  center  we  shall  extend  the  width  out  on 
either  side  to  the  polar  circles,  simplifying  the  English 
language,  and  breaking  the  spell  of  Egyptian  Mythology 
and  signs  for  a  simple  map  of  Stars. 

The  twelve  signs  of  the  path  of  the  snn  will  complete 
the  whole  Great  Circle  of  the  360  degrees. 

There  has  been  a  class  of  men  who  have  sought  to 
weaken  the  history  of  Moses.  But  they  have  only  opened 
a  pit  into  which  they  and  their  followers  have  fallen,  and 
their  schemes  and  their  follies  are  buried  in  the  same 
ditch  as  their  knowledge. 

O 

MYTHOLOGY    OF    THE    ANCIENTS. 

The  morals,  maxims  and  the  historic  events  of  the  An- 
cients were  the  most  of  them  communicated  in  fable  or 
allegory. 

The  Greeks  had  some  fable  to  account  for  the  origin  of 
almost  every  constellation  or  grou^  of  stars.  And  accord- 
ing to  Ovid,  Homer  and  Virgil,  all  the  constellations  re- 
late to  some  personal  exploit  or  expedition. 

Newton  supposes  that  all  the  ancient  constellations  re- 
late to  the  Argonautic  expedition,  or  the  persons  in  some 
way  connected  with  it ;  for  one  Muaeus  was  the  first 
Greek  who  made  maps  of  celestial  spheres,  and  to  this  day 


Of  the  Bible.  83 

we  have  the  Golden  Ram,  the  ensign  of  the  ship  of  that 
expedition,  and  also  the  Bull  with  bronzed  hoofs  which 
Jason  tamed  as  a  feat  of  his  valor. 

Thus  each  sign  of  30  degrees  in  the  zodiac  of  the 
Greeks  received  a  distinctive  appellation,  in  accordance 
with  the  superstitions. 

And  according  to  Pnusanius,  the  sun  was  worshipped 
at  Clausis  under  the  name  of  Preserver  or  Savior. 

Most  of  their  fables  had  an  object  lesson  or  a  moral,  but 
their  endowment  of  the  brutes  with  superhuman  knowl- 
edge and  power,  and  calling  them  gods,  was  an  objection- 
able figure  in  their  writings. 

The  wisdom  of  Joseph,  Moses  and  Aaron  is  made  appar- 
ent, therefore,  in  changing  the  Grecian  Zodiac  into  the 
twelve  Tribes  of  Israel.  I  have  arranged  the  names  as  I 
have  found  them  in  the  Bible,  Chron.  2. 

But  I  would  choose  the  right  hand  column  : 

Jewish  Zodiac.  American  Zodiac. 

1.  Reuben,  1.  Washington, 

2.  Simeon,  2.  Adams, 

3.  Levi,  3.  Jefferson, 

4.  Judah,  4.  Madison, 

5.  Issachar,  5.  Monroe, 

6.  Zebulon,  6.  J.  Q.  Adams, 

7.  Dan,  7.  Jackson, 

8.  Joseph,  8.  Van  Buren, 
0.  Benjamin,  9.  Harrison, 


84  Magnetic  Astronomy 

10.  Naphtali,  10.     Polk, 

11.  Gad,  11.     Taylor, 

12.  Asher.  12.     Pierce. 

The  twelve  signs  answer  for  the  twelve  months  of  the 
year  commencing  with  the  Vernal  Equinox,  or  when  the 
Sun  shines  directly  on  the  earth's  equator  ;  or  when  the 
days  and  the  nights  are  of  equal  length,  about  the  22nd 
of  March. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


MODERN  ASTRONOMERS,  OR  NEW  ENGLAND 
ALMANAC  MAKERS. 


DUDLEY    LEVETT. 

At  the  age  of  17  the  writer  had  an  opportunity  to  learn 
the  trade  from  a  carpenter,  whose  residence  was  among 
the  hills  of  New  Hampshire,  at  a  spot  on  one  of  the  arms 
of  the  beautiful  Lake  Winnepisiogee,  at  Meredith  Upper 
Village,  near  the  home  of  that  old  and  self-made  astrono- 
mer, Dudley  Levett. 

Mr.  Dudley  Levett  then  lived  on  a  farm  about  two 
miles  from  the  village,  and  near  where  the  writer  attended 
church.  At  the  meeting-house  we  met  the  philosopher 
and  his  two  daughters,  Sabbath  after  Sabbath.  The  fig- 
ure and  full  round  eyes  of  the  father  were  such  to  attract 
my  attention ;  he  was  tall  and  straight  as  a  liberty  pole, 
and  his  eyes  were  as  bright  and  sparkling  as  the  prancing 
horses  in  the  march  of  a  regiment  on  parade  on  the  N.  H. 
plains. 

While  in  Meredith,  in  1828,  the  writer  first  caught  the 
inspiration  of  the  good  and  the  true,  and  the  importance 
of  the  science  of  astronomy  to  qualify  the  young  to  enjoy 


86  Magnetic  Astronomy 

a  walk  on  earth,  and  a  sight  of  the  celestial  stars  as  they 
rise  and  set  amid  the  vaulted  starlit  skies. 

From  1828  to  1847,  great  are  the  changes. 

I  have  before  me  the  New  England  Farmers'  Almanac 
for  the  above  year,  and  I  am  happy  to  find  in  this  num- 
ber a  short  sketch  of  the  almanac  makers  in  New  England. 

Dudley  Levett,  the  author  of  the  New  England  Alma- 
nac, says,  page  2 : 

DR.    FRANKLIN. 

"  Dr.  Franklin  began  to  publish  Poor  Richard's  Alma- 
nac in  the  year  1732,  and  continued  it  about  twenty-five 
years,  and  so  great  was  its  reputation  that  he  sold  ten 
thousand  annually." 

DR.    NATHANIEL    AMES. 

Dr.  Ames,  a  physician  of  Dedham,  Mass.,  published 
almanacs  for  many  years. 

He  was  about  two  years  younger  than  Dr.  Franklin, 
and  died  in  1765,  aged  57  years.  He  was  author  of  Fish- 
er Ames,  the  distinguished  statesman  and  orator. 

His  almanacs  were  in  high  repute. 

DR.    NATHANIEL    LOW. 

Dr.  Low,  a  physician  of  Berwick,  Maine,  and  Daniel 
Sewall,  Esq.,  of  New  York,  Clerk  of  the  Court  of  York 
County,  and  Osgood  Carleton,  teacher  of  mathematics  in 
Boston,  published  almanacs  ;  Low  and  Sewall  for  many 
years. 


Of  the  Bible.  87 

WEATHERWISE  AND  BRICKENBRACK. 

Weatherwise  and  Brickenbnick  (fictitious  names,)  fig- 
ured for  a  while  among  the  Stars,  but  they  vanished  like 
other  meteors.  A  few  others,  as  now,  might  be  named, 
and  thrown  into  the  column  of  scattering. 

ROBERT    B.    THOMAS. 

The  next  in  course  was  Robert  B.  Thomas.  He  pub- 
lished the  first  Farmers'  Almanac  in  New  England  for  the 
year  1793,  according  to  his  numbers,  and  one  of  the  same 
form  and  bearing  the  same  name  still  continues.  Mr. 
Thomas  has  since  deceased,  May,  1846,  aged  86,  having 
published  54  numbers  of  his  almanacs. 

DUDLEY  LEVETT. 

The  first  Almanac  calculated  by  the  writer  was  for 
1797,  at  a  press  of  Russell  &  Davis,  at  Concord,  N.  H., 
and  there  have  been  as  many  as  two  omissions  I  think 
within  the  first  term,  or  fifteen  years.  Several  of  the  first 
numbers  were  calculated  principally  for  amusement  and 
to  exhibit  to  a  few  friends,  little  or  no  effort  being  made 
to  circulate  them  widely  among  the  popular  almanac 
makers  of  the  day. 

He  says:  "  The  author  was  then  a  young  man  just 
emerging  from  boyhood,  in  pursuit  of  knowledge  under 
difficulties,  and  unknown  to  the  public." 

The  sale  of  Levett's  Almanacs,  however,  has  gradually 


88  Magnetic  Astronomy 

increased  from  this  small  beginning ;  so  that  it  appears 
60,000  copies,  in  two  editions,  were  printed  in  1846. 

And  beside  the  present  number,  calculations  are  made 
for  several  years  to  come. 

The  author's  first  "  double  almanac  "  published  was  for 
1823,  and  printed  in  Concord  by  Hill  &  More.  All  be- 
fore that  were  single  almanacs. 

A  BRIEF    SKETCH    OF    DUDLEY    LEVETT'S    LIFE    AND 
ALMANAC    BY    HIS    DAUGHTER. 

SOMERVILLE,  MASS.,  May  2,  1884. 

MR.  SMITH,  Dear  Sir. — Your  letter  of  April  was  re- 
ceived, and  as  you  requested,  I  will  give  you  a  brief  his- 
tory of  my  father. 

He  was  born  May  23,  1772,  in  Exeter,  N.  H.  His 
parents  moved  when  he  was  quite  young  to  Deerfield,  N. 
H.,  where  he  lived  until  he  was  a  young  man. 

He  then  went  to  Gilmanton,  N.  H.,  and  engaged  in 
teaching  at  the  Corner,  editing  a  paper,  and  pursuing  the 
study  of  Greek  and  Latin  languages,  under  a  private 
teacher.  He  never  went  to  school  but  three  months  in 
his  life. 

He  married  Miss  Judith  Glidden.  They  had  eleven 
children,  and  I  am  the  only  one  of  whom  is  living. 

He  moved  from  Gilmanton  to  Meredith,  where  his 
time  was  occupied  with  agricultural  pursuits,  teaching, — 
and  indulging  in  his  favorite  study,  astronomy. 

If  I  was  at  home  I  could  tell  you  when  his  first  almanac 


Of  the  Bible.  ^ 

was  published,  or  what  was  its  age.  The  present  num- 
ber is  the  eighty-eighth  ;  consequently,  the  first  number 
was  published  in  1796.  He  died  very  suddenly,  Septem- 
ber 15th,  1851,  in  his  80th  year. 

He  had  a  work  nearly  completed  and  ready  for  the 
press,  on  u  Practical  Astronomy." 

He  said,  a  short  time  before  his  death,  that  he  hoped 
he  should  live  to  complete  it,  as  he  thought  it  would  be  a 
valuable  work.  I  have  had  six  children;  there  are  four 
living  ;  rny  oldest  son,  an  artist,  has  been  in  San  Fran- 
cisco for  twenty  years  :  for  his  health  he  moved  to  San 
Rafael.  My  regards  to  your  wife. 

MRS.  J.  S.  PRESCOTT. 

"  P.  S.  My  husband  was  Joseph  S.  Prescott,  who  lived 
on  Meredith  Xeck,  about  two  miles  from  the  village. 

I  have  a  sister  who  married  Charles  Prescott,  who  lived 
in  the  village.  Levett's  Almanacs  are  still  published  in 
Concord,  N.  H." 

We  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  two  of  the  Levett 
Almanacs,  1847  and  1879.  The  one  of  1879  is  published 
by  William  B.  Levett,  nephew  and  student  of  Dudley 
Levett.  Mr.  William  B,  Levett  winds  up  his  salutations 
for  1879  with  these  words  :  "  Be  careful  that  you  appre- 
ciate the  inestimable  worth  of  good  character;  and, 
above  all,  a  Christian's  reward,  and  you  may  be  assured 
of  the  sacred  promises  of  the  Bible,  and  of  the  best  wishes 
of  William  B.  Levett." 


90  Magnetic  Astronomy 

ANCIENT  HISTORIC  ASTRONOMERS. 

HUGGINS. 

Charles  Huggins  was  born  in  April  14th,  1628.  As  a 
mathematician,  especially,  and  as  a  geometrician,  he  en- 
joyed the  greatest  favor ;  and  his  papers  on  the  calendars 
and  on  the  pendulum  of  a  clock  are  considered  master- 
pieces. His  views  on  optics  and  medicine  also  attracted 
great  attention. 

Pie  was  the  most  earnest  advocate  of  the  undulatory 
hypothesis  of  light,  which  he  developed  in  1678. 

The  historian  goes  on  to  say  that  Huggins'  theory  of 
light  was  not  generally  adopted;  by  reason,  probably,  of 
the  great  authority  of  Newton,  who  embraced  the  emis- 
sion hypothesis. 

By  the  later  labors  of  young  Friend  and  others,  the 
doctrine  of  Huggins  was  restored,  and  the  news  univer- 
sally received. 

It  is  said  of  Huggins  that  he  discovered,  not  only  the 
clock  pendulum,  but  also  the  rotation  of  centrifugal 
force.  But  whether  it  was  ever  applied  by  him  to  as- 
tronomy or  not,  our  limited  history  does  not  say. 

His  works  were  published  in  two  collections  :  Oprria, 
1724,  and  Oeria  Religia,  1728. 

At  different  times  in  his  life  he  was  much  engaged  in 
making  improvements  in  the  construction  of  the  telescope. 
And  in  1656  he  discovered  the  first  satellite  of  Saturn,  and 
in  1659  the  ring. 


CHAPTER  IX. 
DO  THE  PLANETS  AFFECT  THE  EARTH  1 

AUGUST   A   TERRIBLE    MONTH. 

It  is  claimed  by  most  students  in  meteorology  that  all 
the  spheres  like  our  earth  are  a  complete,  whole,  and  in- 
dependent world  of  itself.  But  facts  speak  louder  than 
words.  So  we  quote  from  observations  of  August,  1880, 
as  we  have  preserved  them  during  their  occurrence. 

August  opened  with  a  conjunction  of  Mars  with  Uranus, 
and  on  the  4th,  Mercury  passed  between  the  earth  and 
the  Sun.  And  on  the  day  of  the  8th,  the  day  of  the 
foundering  of  the  steamer  Jeddah,  the  Moon  was  in  con- 
junction with  Mars, — whom  the  ancients  called  the  "  God 
of  War." 

AWFUL     DISASTER. 

"  LONDON,  August  10th,  1880. — A  telegram  from  Aden 
reports  that  the  steamer  Jeddah,  from  Singapore,  founder- 
ed off  Guanice,  on  the  8th  instant,  with  253  Pilgrims  for 
Jeddah.  All  on  board  perished,  with  the  exception  of 
the  captain  and  his  wife,  the  chief  engineer,  chief  officer 
and  C.  Notion,  who  were  picked  up  and  brought  to  Aden 
by  the  steamer  Sernda." 

91 


D2  Magnetic  Astronomy 

And  by  referring  to  a  telegram  of  the  20th  of  August, 
Corpus  Christi,  Texas,  which  says  : 

"  Brownsville,  Texas,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Rio 
Grande,  was  nearly  destroyed  by  a  fearful  storm,  which 
prevailed  along  the  Texas  coast  on  the  12th  and  13th 
instant,  and  many  lives  have  been  lost.  The  telegraph 
wires  along  the  coast  from  the  south  were  prostrated  and 
are  still  down." 

And  a  telegram  from  Chicho,  August  20th,  says  the 
direct  center  of  the  hurricane  along  the  Rio  Grande  river 
passed  over  Brownsville  and  Matamoras. 

The  streets  of  both  cities  were  flooded  on  August  12th. 
On  the  morning  of  the  13th,  Matamoras  looked  as  though 
it  had  stood  a  week's  bombardment.  Brick  buildings 
were  torn  out  of  the  center  of  a  long  block.  Frame  build- 
ings were  completely  broken,  and  the  streets  were  filled 
with  twisted  remains  of  trees,  and  the  roofs  and  fragments 
of  houses. 

And  so  the  account  goes  on  :  all  of  which  is  appalling 
to  see. 

A   TEXAS    HURRICANE. 

ST.  Louis,  August  20th. 

Colonel  Baker,  Superintendent  of  the  Western  Union 
Telegraphic  Company,  has  a  dispatch  from  Corpus  Christi, 
Texas,  which  says  that  it  is  reported  there  that  Browns- 
ville, Texas,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Grande  river  was 


Of  the  Bible.  93 

nearly  destroyed  by  a  fearful  storm  which  prevailed 
along  the  Texas  Coast  on  the  12th  and  13th  inst.,  and 
many  lives  have  been  lost.  The  telegraph  wires  along 
the  coast  from  Indianola  south  were  prostrated,  and  are 
still  down  at  Corpus  Christi.  *  The  military  telegraph 
line  from  Brownsville  up  the  Rio  Grande  is  badly  torn  ; 
therefore  no  communication  can  be  had  with  the  stricken 
city. 

CHICAGO,  Aug.  20th.— The  Times  Galveston  special 
says  :  The  direct  center  of  the  hurricane  along  the  Rio 
Grande  passed  over  Brownsville  and  Matamoras.  The 
streets  of  both  cities  were  flooded  on  August  12th.  On 
the  morning  of  the  13th  Matamoras  looked  as  if  it  had 
stood  a  week's  heavy  bombardment.  Brick  buildings 
were  torn  out  of  the  center  of  the  long  block,  frame 
houses  were  completely  wrecked,  the  streets  were  filled 
with  the  twisted  remains  of  trees,  the  roofs  and  fragments- 
of  houses  ;  the  roof  of  the  Theatre  de  la  Forma  was 
blown  off ;  the  top  of  the  cathedral  was  torn  off  ;  the 
clock  towers  look  as  if  they  had  been  riddled  with  balls ; 
not  a  flagstaff  remains  standing,  and  the  public  square  is 
almost  ruined.  The  Custom  House  is  slightly  damaged. 
Hardly  a  balcony  remains  in  the  city.  Even  small  iron 
balconies  were  torn  from  buildings  and  hurled  to  a  great 
distance.  Many  residences  were  wrecked  entirely.  A 
one-story  brick  building  in  the  middle  of  a  solidly  built 
block  was  blown  out  as  if  a  battery  had  played  on  it- 


94  Magnetic  Astronomy 

Trees  were  uprooted  all  over  the  city,  and  roads  were 
rendered  impassable  on  account  of  debris,  and  at  least 
300  buildings  in  the  city  were  demolished  or  damaged. 
Brownsville  came  off  a  little  better.  Eleven  buildings, 
occupied  by  the  Quartermaster  as  storehouses,  and  others 
used  as  dwellings,  were  blown  down.  The  infantry  bar- 
racks were  badly  shattered,  and  much  damage  was  done 
to  the  officers'  quarters.  At  Point  Isabel,  the  life-saving 
station  was  lifted  from  its  foundation  and  torn  to  pieces, 
the  lighthouse  was  swept  away,  and  all  the  houses  on  the 
wharf  were  wrecked.  A  million  dollars  will  hardly  cover 
the  losses. 

Prof.  Benton  wrote  in  The.  Pacific,  Aug.  25th,  1880  : 
"  Possibly  all  our  readers  did  not  observe  the  full  moon 
of  August,  as  it  hung  low  in  the  horizon  so  long  last  Fri- 
day evening,  and  seemed  loath  to  climb  the  ascent  to 
midnight  and  the  zenith.  There  is  no  finer  moon  in  all 
the  year,  and  we  wanted  to  be  looking  at  it  through  such 
an  instrument  as  the  Lick  Telescope  is  to  be,  but  is  not 
yet.  It  gets  on  slowly,  and  some  of  us  may  not  live  to 
see  the  heavens  through  it  ;  but  the  moon  will  be  as 
young  as  ever  in  August  of  1890,  when  the  proposed  in- 
strument may  bring  its  wonderful  mechanism  to  bear  on 
the  satellite,  and  solve  some  problem  concerning  its  state 
and  destiny. 

"Last  Sunday  the  people  around  the  Bay  did  not  see 
the  Sun  at  all,  and  the  relative  humidity  of  the  air  was 


Of  the  Bible.  95 

above  80  parts  in  a  100.  Of  course,  thick  clothing  was 
in  order.  The  sensitive  were  chilled,  and  the  invalids 
sat  by  the  fire.  But  how  often  people  are,  without  a 
word  of  complaint,  without  the  sunlight  of  God's  pres- 
ence, perhaps  without  taking  notice  of  it.  Is  it  good  to 
Le  so  sensitive  to  the  lack  of  physical  sunlight,  and  so  in- 
sensible to  the  moral,  which  is  so  much  finer  ?  " 

A    SEVERE    STORM. 

NEW  YORK,  August  25th. — A  very  heavy  storm  passed 
over  the  city  today,  and  the  temperature  has  been  con- 
siderably lower  since.  Rain  began  about  fifteen  minutes 
past  one  and  at  half-past  two  the  gage  indicated  a  rainfall 
of  1.41  inches.  Telegraph  wires  were  much  interfered 
with,  making  work  very  slow ;  indeed,  there  was  almost  a 
cessation  of  telegraphing  eastward  for  a  period. 

The  sloop  yacht  Intrepid,  from  Newport  for  New 
York,  was  struck  by  a  squall  off  Hart  Island  at  1:30  P.  M., 
upset,  and  sank  in  twenty  fathoms  of  water.  Everything 
was  lost,  the  crew  barely  escaping. 

A  boat  capsized  off  Rockaway  Point,  and  six  men  were 
•drowned. 

NEW  YORK,  August  25th. — A  telegram  tonight  from 
Newport,  L.  I.,  states  that  the  yacht  Dollie  was  upset  in 
the  storm,  and  Captain  Frederick  Baker,  of  the  Sixteenth 
Ward,  Brooklyn,  and  party  were  drowned.  One  man,  it 
was  stated,  was  saved.  There  were  six  in  the  party. 


96  Magnetic  Astronomy 

NEW  YORK,  August  25th. — The  heated  term  was 
broken  this  afternoon  by  a  terrific  thunder  storm,  which 
was  very  destructive  of  life  and  property  in  the  country 
to  the  north  and  east.  The  air  is  quite  chilly  now,  and 
fall  overcoats  are  in  request.  The  storm  was  very  severe 
in  the  annexed  district.  An  unknown  man  was  struck  by 
lightning  and  killed,  on  Pelhatn  avenue,  near  the  South- 
ern Boulevard.  Two  frame  houses  on  King's  Bridge 
Road,  at  One  Hundred  and  Seventy-fifth  street,  were 
struck  by  lightning  and  slightly  injured. 

BRIDGEPORT,  CONN.,  August  25th. — A  terrific  thunder 
storm  passed  over  this  city  this  afternoon.  Lightning 
struck  a  schooner,  killing  Charles  F.  Shryber,  the  stew- 
ard. Lightning  struck  a  number  of  places  about  the  city 
and  vicinity,  including  the  St.  Augustine  Catholic  Church. 

WILKESBARRE,  PA.,  August  25th. — A  furious  storm, 
with  thunder  and  lightning,  passed  here  today.  Several 
buildings  were  struck,  but  no  great  damage  was  done. 
General  Oliver's  powder  mill  at  Laurel  Run  was  struck, 
and  100  pounds  exploded,  partially  destroying  the  mixing 
room.  A  flood  caused  considerable  loss  in  the  city. 

Thus  let  the  student  in  astronomy  know  we  let  the  plan- 
ets speak  for  themselves ! 


CHAPTER  IX. 
THE  LANGUAGE  OF  THE   STARS. 

"The  Heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God."— Psalm  19. 

David  must  have  been  in  a  happy  state  of  mind  when 
his  poetic  heart  and  fingers  penned  that  first  line  of  the 
19th  Psalm. 

You  know  that  he  was  a  shepherd  and  a  singer,  but  it 
so  happened  that  his  early  opportunities  were  not  of  the 
highest  type.  Yet  he  excelled  in  winning  ways  and  graces, 
that  gave  him  an  introduction  into  the  society  of  the  opu- 
lent, and  even  to  one  of  the  King's  sons  by  the  name  of 
Jonathan. 

The  probabilities  are  that  he  had  read  the  lectures  of 
his  great-great-grandfather  Abraham,  on  the  sciences  of 
Astronomy  and  Mathematics  then  extant  in  the  Jewish 
library  ;  and  he  had  also  an  insight  into  the  mythology 
of  the  Grecians.  Be  that  as  it  may,  his  opportunity  to 
study  the  stars  was  good.  His  songs  were  so  inviting 
that  King  Saul's  son  followed  David  into  the  sheep-fold, 
and  thence  to  the  plains  of  Judea. 

We  can  almost  hear  David's  musical  voice,  and  also  see 
him  starting  out  with  the  King's  son,  who  was  large,  but 


e 
97 


98  M-agnetL  Astronomy 

David  was  small.  Tb^  smaller,  yet  be  led  tbe  way  witb 
his  shepherd's  croo1/  in  hand  ;  we  suppose  that  the  King's 
son  had  a  crook  and  a  bag  also,  so  as  to  be  prepared  to 
pick  up  a  lamb  and  take  it  along,  as  the  flock  moved  out 
to  richer  pasturage. 

David  and  Jonathan  bad  spent  tbe  day  very  pleasantly, 
and  both  of  them  with  the  sheep-herds  had  come  back  to 
the  fold  that  night  happy,  with  the  weak  lambs  of  the 
fold  they  had  brought  in  their  arms  —  the  sheep-fold  was 
near  one  of  the  wells  of  Jacob.  The  sheep  had  been 
watered  and  sought  rest. 

As  the  two  lads  David  and  Jonathan  were  seated  on  the 
ground  for  supper,  the  King's  son  saw  his  rich,  well-filled 
bag — with  the  best  of  all  the  King's  butler  had — so  Jon- 
athan had  more  than  David  of  good  things  to  eat,  for 
David's  shepherd's  bag  was  rather  scantily  supplied,  and 
was  probably  wrapped  in  fig  leaves. 

It  was  found  that  Jonathan's  provisions  were  wrapped 
in  a  linen  napkin,  but  Jonathan  was  moved  to  say  to  David 
that  he  must  share  and  share  alike  in  the  best  of  the  con- 
tents of  the  good  things  from  the  King's  supply.  David 
accepted  Jonathan's  offer,  and  the  two  made  common 
property  of  the  contents  of  the  two  bags.  They  ate  their 
supper,  and  drank  from  "  Jacob's  well." 

When  the  repast  was  concluded  David  began  to  sing,  but 
Jonathan  was  so  weary  he  was  soon  charmed  to  sleep,  and 
lay  at  David's  side  in  the  new  grass  ;  soon  the  stars  began 


Of  the  Bible.  99 

to  shine.  The  first  to  meet  the  eye  of  David  was  Ceres, 
then  Aries,  Taurus,  Gemini  and  Orion. 

In  this  quarter  of  the  heavens  is  found  the  most  splen- 
did and  glorious  display  of  the  heavenly  host,  all  spread 
out  before  David's  bright  and  youthful  vision. 

And  David  was  inspired  as  he  sang,  and  saw  the  stars 
and  constellations  so  bright,  coining  up  from  the  eastern 
skies  ;  so  he  broke  out  in  the  language  of  this  19th  Psalm, 
—  "The  Heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God"  :  and  as  he 
sang  in  the  language  of  the  Greek,  in  rhymes  and  chimes 
like  the  notes  of  many  bells,  so  he  sings  on  until  the 
whole  of  the  words  of  the  19th  Psalm  are  sounded  out  on 
the  night  winds  across  the  plains  of  Judea.  By  the 
change  in  the  tone  and  voice  of  the  singer,  thus  inspired 
as  David  was,  he  had  completed  the  song  and  begun  to 
repeat  the  first  line,  when  Jonathan  awakes  and  joins  in 

the  chorus  : 

"  PSALM  xix. 

God's  Glory  seen  in  the  Creation. 

The  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God  ;  and  the  firma- 
ment sheweth  his  handywork. 

Day  unto  day  uttereth  speech,  and  night  unto  night 
sheweth  knowledge. 

There  is  no  speech  nor  language,  where  their  voice  is 
not  heard. 

Their  line  is  gone  out  through  all  the  earth,  and  their 
words  to  the  end  of  the  world.  In  them  hath  he  set  a 
tabernacle  for  the  sun, 


100  Magnetic  Astronomy 

Which  is  as  a  bridegroom  coming  out  of  his  chamber, 
and  rejoiceth  as  a  strong  man  to  run  a  race. 

His  going  forth  is  from  the  end  of  the  heaven,  and  his 
circuit  unto  the  ends  of  it  :  and  there  is  nothing  hid  from 
the  heat  thereof. 

The  law  of  the  LORD  is  perfect,  converting  the  soul  ; 
the  testimony  of  the  LORD  is  sure,  making  wise  the 
simple. 

The  statutes  of  the  LORD  are  right,  rejoicing  the  heart  : 
the  commandment  of  the  LORD  is  pure,  enlightening  the 
eyes. 

The  fear  of  the  LORD  is  clean,  enduring  for  ever  ;  the 
judgments  of  the  LORD  are  true  and  righteous  altogether. 

More  to  be  desired  are  they  than  gold,  yea,  than  much 
fine  gold  ;  sweeter  also  than  honey  and  the  honeycomb. 

Moreover,  by  them  is  thy  servant  warned  :  and  in 
keeping  of  them  there  is  great  reward. 

Who  can  understand  his  errors?  cleanse  thou  me  from 


Keep  back  thy  servant  also  from  presumptuous  sins  ; 
let  them  not"  have  dominion  over  me  :  then  shall  I  be  up- 
right, and  I  shall  be  innocent  from  the  great  transgression. 

Let  the  words  of  my  mouth  and  the  meditation  of  my 
heart  be  acceptable  in  thy  sight,  O  LORD,  my  strength 
and  my  redeemer." 


Of  the  Bible.  101 

NEW    HEAVEN    AND    NEW    EARTH. 
"  And  I  saw  a  New  Heaven  and_a  New  Earth."— Rev.  21,  1. 

This  New  Heaven  and  New  Earth  is  synonymous  with 
the  words  New  Jerusalem.  Heaven  in  some  cases  refers 
to  the  "  Church  "  on  the  Earth,  and  may  be  a  condition 
rather  than  a  local  place.  But  John  the  Revelator  would 
seem  to  describe  Heaven  as  with  a  Physical  Geography, 
to  wit:  "  A  location  place  on  some  sphere."  Old  Jerusa- 
lem was  local,  and  the  new  Jerusalem  we  must  also  locate ; 
if  we  would  continue  the  figure  or  synonym,  we  must 
give  it  a  physical  location.  To  make  our  subject  plain  to 
all,  we  must  admit  that  Heaven  is  located  on  some  one  of 
the  spheres.  Therefore  "  Heaven  is  a  place." 

Yes,  Heaven  is  where  God,  angels,  and  happy  spirits 
dwell  in  peace.  The  word  Jerusalem  in  the  original  was 
two  words,  Ji-bu-si  and  /Salem,  and  the  interpretation  is 
this  :  u  They  shall  have  Peace."  No  strife,  no  wars,  no 
bloodshed !  What  would  Earth  have  been  if  wars  and 
strife  had  never  stained  its  streams  with  blood,  or  if  wars 
had  not  destroyed  its  best  men  V 

Just  before  the  time  when  John  saw  the  New  Heaven 
and  the  New  Earth,  he  saw  Gog  and  Magog  at  war  on  a 
large  scale.  This  is  local  on  the  Earth.  The  word  "  Gog  " 
means  to  cover  up,  deceptive,  volcanic  in  mind,  jealousy 
and  deceit.  "  Magog  ''  in  the  original  is  to  dissolve,  part 
asunder,  separate  in  mind,  to  abuse  our  best  friend,  to 
kill  or  destroy. 


102  Magnetic  Astronomy 

In  our  civil  war  is  portrayed  all  the  evils,  woes  and  car- 
nage that  are  seen  by  the  inspired  Revelator  ;  but  in  the 
midst  of  our  strife  as  a  nation,  a  voice  is  heard — it  is  a  com- 
manding voice,  and  one  of  the  greatest  of  human  com- 
manders (Gen.  Grant) — to  say,  "  Let  us  have  Peace  "  ! 

This  command  is  the  signal  to  the  United  States  and 
to  the  world  for  a  new  Jerusalem — "They  shall  have 
peace." 

This  peace  is  from  God  ;  it  came  down  from  Heaven  all 
along  the  ages  of  time,  but  now  is  being  developed  more 
and  more  by  the  light  of  science. 

Yes,  while  shepherds  watched  their  flocks  by  night  it 
was  announced  that  Peace  was  to  come  through  Christ — 
*'  Peace  on  earth,  good-will  to  men. " 

This  angelic  peace  is  a  triple  peace  to  the  women  of 
earth,  for  it  means  Motherhood — Home — Sons — Daugh- 
ters, and,  native  lands  at  peace — peace  among  the  nations. 

Notice  some  of  the  adornments,  as  a  Bride  adorned  for 
her  husband.  (Rev.  21,  3.) 

First.  This  bride  is  youthful!  Where  can  be  found 
the  virgin  soil  that  is  found  within  the  lines  of  the  United 
States — yes,  in  California? 

Second.  God  is  to  be  there — God  continually.  If 
God  be  for  us,  who  can  stand  against  us?  (Rev.  21,  4, 
5,6,  7,  8,9  and  llth  verses.) 

Mark  well  the  progress  of  the  present  age  under  the 
Bride— the  Lamb's  Wife.  The  "  Woman's  Union.''  Oh  t 
what  a  mountain  of  holiness  !  !  ! 


Of  the  Bible.  103 

The  Christian  Endeavor.  Mark  well  this  youthful 
outpouring  of  the  youth  of  our  land,  other  lands  as  well. 
Oh !  what  an  uplift  of  him  of  whom  Moses  and  the 
Prophets  did  write — Jesus  of  Nazareth !  !  ! 

The  gates  of  China  have  of  late  swung  ope  to  the  King 
of  Israel,  and  the  laws  of  Japan  have  changed  so  that 
they  admit  the  subjects  of  the  King  of  Kings,  who  go 
there  with  the  wand  of  peace  and  the  crook  of  the  Great 
Shepherd  of  the  sheep.  The  Bible  is  being  printed  in  all 
the  written  languages  of  the  world,  and  millions  of  dol- 
lars are  now,  even,  lying  in  the  lap  of  the  Church  for  the 
education  of  young  men  and  women,  to  go  with  their  lives 
in  their  hands  to  carry  the  news  of  salvation  to  a  lost 
world.  More  than  this,  the  Spirit  of  Christ  is  moving 
upon  the  minds  of  the  young  to  speak  and  to  go  from 
home  and  native  land,  to  spread  the  news  of  salvation  and 
the  coming  kingdom  of  the  King  of  Kings  and  Lord  of 
Lords.  And  the  voice  of — Come  over  and  help  us — is 
coming  across  the  seas  from  every  land — coming  down 
from  God  out  of  Heaven.  Where  is  Heaven  ?  Answer. 
Physically  in  the  center  of  the  universe — on  the  largest 
of  all  the  spheres.  Therefore  it  is  on  what  we  call  the 
Sun, — this  is  the  NEW  HEAVEN  AND  THE  NEW  EARTH. 

The  old  Masters  have  taught  that  the  orb  of  day  was 
a  u  consuming  fire"  95,000,000  miles  away.  But  there 
are  a  few  wh  )  have  differed  from  the  majority  of  Astron- 
omers about  the  Sun.  One  of  the  Herschels  studied  the 


104  Magnetic  Astronomy 

Sun  for  fifteen  years.  He  concluded  that  the  sun  is 
opaque  like  the  Earth,  and  he  says  it  may  be  "  inhabited.''1 

In  view  of  what  we  have  read  and  do  know  of  the  Sun, 
he  is  the  center  of  God's  power,  the  center  of  his  habi- 
tation, and  from  the  Sun  emanates  his  power,  to  rule  the 
multiplicity  of  worlds. 

Jerusalem  is  spoken  of  in  the  Bible  in  125  places  ;  and 
as  New  Jerusalem  in  Rev.  8, 12,  also  12,  2.  As  the  New 
Jerusalem  signifies  much,  and  a  few  of  the  benign  bless- 
ings we  can  only  name  at  this  time  as  vouchsafed  to  the 
Church  of  the  Redeemer. 

With  new  Jerusalem  we  have  new  songs,  new  Heaven, 
new  Earth,  new  heart  and  new  life,  and  above  all,  a  new 
spirit. 

All  these  new  things  and  blessings  are  coming,  yes, 
"  Coming  down  from  God  out  of  Heaven  "  ;  but  we  are 
apt  to  forget  that  so  many  good  things  come  down  from 
God  out  of  Heaven,  which  is  the  Church. 

LIGHT. 

The.  subject  of  this  theory  will  be  found  on  another 
page. 

"  And  I  will  give  them  one  heart,  and  I  will  put  a  new 
spirit  within  you  ;  and  I  will  take  the  stony  heart  out  of 
their  flesh,  and  will  give  them  a  heart  of  flesh." — Ezekiel 
11, 19. 

"  Cast  away  from  you  all  your  trangressions,  whereby 
ye  have  trangressed  ;  and  make  you  a  new  heart  and  a 


Of  the  Bible.  105 

new  spirit;  for  why  will  ye  die,  O  house  of  Israel." — 
Ezekiel  18,  31. 

4<  A  new  heart  also  will  I  give  you,  and  a  new  spirit  will 
I  put  within  you  ;  and  I  will  take  away  the  stony  heart 
out  of  your  flesh,  and  I  will  give  you  a  heart  of  flesh." — 
EzeUel  36,  26. 

Sing  to  him  a  New  Song. — Psalm  33,  3. 

New  Name. — Isaiah  62,  2. 

New  Heavens. — Isaiah  65.  17. 

New  Commandment. — St.  John  13,  34. 

New  Testament  and  New  Creature. — //  Corinthians 
3,  6  ;  5,  17. 

New  Creature.  —  Galatians  6,  15. 

New  Man. — Ephesians  2,  15. 

New  Earth.— II  Peter  3,  13. 

New  Name. — Revelations  2,  17. 

New  Jerusalem. — Revelations  3,  12. 

GOD'S   PLAN    OR    THE    BIBLE   AND    SCIENCE. 

"  And  the  spirit  of  God  moved  upon  the  face  of  the  wa- 
ters."—^. 1,2. 

The  spirit  of  God  "moved."  Thus  God's  motion  is 
God's  plan  for  light.  Plan  for  what?  Answer:  God's 
plan  as  a  Creator  of  light.  Now,  is  it  a  fact  that  God 
has  a  plan,  in  which  light  may  be  produced?  We  answer 
yes.  Let  us  see — with  water  and  motion.  He  spreads 
Earth  all  around  with  Electro-Magnetic  positive  forces. 

And  Earth  rolls  out  into  space  by  God's  power.     The 


106  Magnetic  Astronomy 

Earth  begins  to  revolve,  and  by  this  rotary  motion  in  the 
firmament  it  meets  the  atmosphere  of  Venus  in  motion^ 
which  is  the  second  positive  Electro-Magnetic  force.  So 
motion  gathers  force  in  God's  plan  of  intersection  of 
worlds. 

There  is  no  loss  of  power  in  God's  "  celestial  works." 
Why?  Because  in  the  simple  study  of  physics  the  first 
lesson  is,  that  two  positives  repelling  they  keep  each  oth- 
er in  motion  without  the  loss  of  force  from  "  Celestial 
Mechanics." 

But  let  us  not  lose  sight  of  the  EFFECT  in  describing 
the  POWER  OF  GOD.  What  is  that  effect  ?  We  answer, 
Light  is  the  effect  of  motion,  for  without  motion  there  is 
no  intersection.  So  by  motion  two  positives  meeting  in 
space  produce  light,  by  the  immense  quantity  of  positive 
matter  that  is  intersected. 

DAY    LIGHT. 

The  old  masters  have  taught  us  that  light  was,  and  is 
now,  the  product  of  a  vast  and  unquenchable  flame  of 
fire,  and  that  to  keep  up  this  consuming  fire  the  sun  at- 
tracts small  worlds  with  its  vast  flames,  and  they  too  are 
consumed,  and  another,  and  so  on,  until  all  worlds  are 
consumed,  aud  the  sun  too  is  to  consume  itself:  so  gays. 
Proctor. 

The  above  is  a  short  synopsis  of  the  theories  of  most 
of  the  books  in  astronomy  on  light  and  heat;  so  without 
adding  or  diminishing  one  fraction  of  the  plan  of  our 


Of  the  Bible.  107 

predecessors  on  the  subject  of  light,  we  pass  on  to  notice 
God's  plan  by  the  statement  of  Moses  in  Genesis  1st,  2nd,, 
and  3rd  verses.  Therefore  we  notice  in  the  third  verse : 
"  And  God  said  let  there  be  light,  and  there  was  light. 
Fourth  :  u  And  God  saw  the  light  that  it  was  good,"  and 
"  God  divided  the  light  from  the  darkness."  Fifth  : 
And  "God  called  the  light  day,  and  the  darkness  he 
called  night,"  and  the  evening  and  the  morning  was  the 
first  day.  Thus  it  appears  to  us  that  in  that  first  "  thou- 
sand years  as  one  day,"  with  the  Lord,  2nd  Peter,  3—8, 
"  the  Earth  was  formed,"  and  light  produced  by  God's 
right  hand  of  power,  that  is  magnetic  force. 

PARALLEL    LINES    BETWEEN    THE    BIBLE    AND     SCIENCE. 

And  God  moved  upon  the  face  of  the  waters.  And 
science  has  proved  that  electro-magnetic  forces  cannot  be- 
utilized  without  the  aid  of  water  ;  also  motion  as  a  power. 
Therefore  these  two  words  are  the  most  prominent  in  the 
text  before  us  as  God's  plan  of  "  moving  "  things.  Thus 
it  will  be  seen  that  God,  Moses  and  the  lines  of  science 
are  running  more  and  more  parallel  with  each  other  in  the- 
creation  of  power  and  of  the  production  of  light. 

THE    BINARY    SYSTEM. 

Doctor  Dick  proclaims  that 4i  suns  revolve  around  suns  " 
and  "systems  around  systems."  .Professor  Matherson 
has  a  catalogue  of  eighteen  pairs  of  stars  that  revolve 
around  each  other,  whose  time  varies  from  40  to  6,000 


108  •    Magnetic  Astronomy 

years ;  the  most  of  them  are  double  ;  a  few  of  them  are 
triple  stars,  said  to  be  of  various  colors.  (See  Mather- 
son,  page  187.)  Still  another  astronomer  has  counted 
some  six  thousand  double  stars.  The  word  Binary  means 
two  or  double  stars.  Thus  the  wisdom  and  the  economy 
of  God  is  seen  in  what  astronomers  call  the  Binary  Sys- 
tem of  the  Stars,  which  are  in  fact  two  worlds  like  ours, 
or  spheres  like  those  of  Jupiter  or  Saturn,  in  pairs  re- 
volving around  each  other  ;  but  science  is  silent  as  to  why 
this  is  so.  God  and  Moses,  however,  point  the  way,  if 
they  do  not  speak  it. 

It  is  now  apparent  that  it  is  more  than  a  fable  in  Myth- 
ology, to  attach  the  masculine  and  feminine  gender  to  the 
rotating  spheres.  The  skeptic  may  inquire,  What  is  the 
use  of  these  double  stars?  We  answer:  It  is  much  in 
every  way,  one  of  which  we  will  point  out.  First,  to 
shade  from  the  Sun  the  Torrid  Zones,  and  to  divide  the 
years  into  summer  and  winter.  This  is  the  effect  that 
takes  place  between  Venus  and  our  sphere — the  Earth — 
for  when  it  is  winter  north  of  Earth's  equator  on  the 
Earth,  it  is  summer  on  the  north  of  Venus,  and  vice  versa. 
And  by  these  planets  we  have  the  definite  seasons  of  the 
year,  as  Spring,  Summer,  Autumn  and  Winter  on  the 
Earth  ;  and  Venus,  also,  where  we  can  see  her  northern 
snows,  while  on  the  .Earth  it  is  warm  in  midsummer. 
Again,  they  give  to  us  and  to  each  other  the  two  rainy 
seasons,  called  the  early  and  the  later  rains.  But  we  re- 


Of  the  Bible,  109 

turn  to  the  Binary  System,  of  which  we  would  remark 
that  two  planets  rotating  so  close  to  each  other,  it  brings 
their  outer  atmospheres  so  that  they  intersect,  and  the 
atmospheric  strata  being  curved  lines,  are  such  that 
their  intersection  being  positive  in  their  outer  conditions, 
so  much  so  that  they  produce  a  mutual  light  between 
each  other,  called  starlight. 

Magnetic  force  pervades  every  stratum  of  the  earth's 
atmosphere,and  each  stratum  becomes  a  bridge  over  which 
this  unseen  magnetic  power  sweeps  around  our  globe  in  a 
moment  of  time.  This  is  what  Moses  means  when  he 
says:  "God  moved  upon  the  waters.'5  It  is  a  vivid 
manifestation  of  God's  power  and  glory  to  Moses  as  a 
writer,  and  to  all  mankind. 

Yes,  we  see  in  lad  and  lass,  in  man  and  maiden,  in 
them  all,  is  magnetic  grace  displayed. 

It  moves  the  pen  of  sire  and  sage.  It  shines  in  books 
on  every  line  and  page.  So  much  so  that  kinguage,  or 
even  thoughts,  human  or  divine,  may  be  transmitted 
through  space,  in  the  twinkle  of  an  eye  ;  and  there  will 
be  a  mind  to  respond,  providing  the  recipient  occupied 
the  same  spiritual  train  of  thought,  and  the  mind  is  open 
like  the  rose  of  Sharon,  or  the  Lily  of  the  Valley. 

MOTION. 

Now,  let  us  step  out  from  Earth's  cares,  as  much  as 
possible,  and  walk  to  the  west  peak  of  Mt.  Diablo, 
where  the  lines  of  surveyors  meet.  It  happens  to  be 


110  Magnetic  Astronomy 

March  22,  1892,  at  6  p.  M.;  and  now,  looking  east,  what 
do  we  see  ?  Well,  we  see  the  glories  of  a  California 
morning,  and  in  a  moment  a  bright  golden  ray  of  sun- 
light comes  direct  from  the  east,  and  it  strikes  at  our  feet. 
A  child  who  had  never  seen  it  would  inquire  what  is  it. 
Oh  !  What  is  that  so  bright  ?  Reply,  that  is  a  ray  of 
light,  bright,  golden  sunlight ;  and  in  less  than  a  moment 
ten  thousand  such  rays  like  that  break  upon  the  vision, 
and  so  bright  it  dazzles  our  sight. 

And,  now  let  us  say,  that  in  each  ray  of  that  light  is 
borne  to  us,  right  on  this  spot,  light,  heat,  and  the  glory  of 
the  electro-magnetic  forces.  But  how  gentle,  warm,  win- 
ning, and  delightful !  And  ere  long  we  conclude  this  is 
surely  light,  life,  and  love.  Yes,  this  is  the  glory  of 
"God,  and  we  mortals  would  say :  "  Stay  thy  hand,  oh 
1/ord,  for  this  is  holy  ground."  And  as  we  recline,  it  ap- 
pears to  us  that  we  all  are  in  the  arms  of  Him  of  whom 
Moses  speaks  as  moving  upon  the  face  of  the  waters. 

I  truly  am  in  raptures  with  the  "  Divine,"  as  I  view  the 
landscape  o'er. 

MAX. 

We  desire  to  emphasize  the  fact  that  all  mankind  are 
in  close  connection  with  the  magnetic  world  ;  and  as  we 
walk,  run  or  jump,  we  gather  up  more  and  more  of  the 
magnetic  forces.  We  are,  in  fact,  moving  magnets. 
All  the  trees  and  every  vertical  thing  on  Earth  is  a  static 
magnet.  At  the  ground  the  atmosphere  is  negative  ;  six 
feet  above  the  ground  it  is  positive. 


Of  tJie  Bible.  Ill 

This  Is  God's  plan.  But  suppose  that  we  could  reverse 
ihis  structure,  and  have  the  positive  on  the  ground  at  our 
feet,  and  the  cold  negative  at  our  heads,  what  then  ?  We 
would  answer :  With  the  great  weight  on  our  feet,  then 
heat,  fever,  corns,  bunions  and  gout  would  be  the  rule  ; 
this  would  send  us  early  to  the  "  Old  Arm  Chair,"  and  a 
walk  in  the  garden  would  be  a  burden  instead  of  a  pleas- 
ure. 

So  give  us  God's  plan  with  cold  feet,  rather  than  all 
the  ills  above  recited ;  so  that,  with  David,  "  ONE  may 
chase  a  thousand,  and  TWO  put  ten  thousand  to  flight." 
David  must  have  had  a  good  supply  of  magnetic  force 
when  he  hurled  a  stone  that  brought  Goliah  of  Gath  to 
the  ground.  But  the  women  had  some  magnetic  force, 
also,  when  they  sang, u  David  has  killed  his  ten  thousand." 

THE    ASTRONOMY    OF    CHRIST'S     KINGDOM. 

Prophesied  by  Isaiah  60,1-11;  61,1-22;  62,1-12. 
Daniel  6,  27  ;  2,  44  ;  7, 18-27.  Luke  1,  30-34.  John 
12,32,  33,34,35;  Rev.  11,15. 

Isaiah  60,  12.  It  was  698  years  before  Christ  that  this 
prophet  spoke  these  words,  i.  e  : 

"  For  the  nation  and  kingdom  that  will  not  serve  Thee 
shall  perish.  Yea,  those  nations  shall  be  utterly  wasted." 

And  in  603,  that  is  91  years  from  Isaiah's  prophecy  of 
the  fall  of  nations,  was  the  time  when  Daniel  was  called 
upon  to  explain  the  "Golden  Image"  of  the  King  of 
Babylon — or  the  King's  dream  of  the  fate  of  the  Medes 


112  Magnetic  Astronomy 

and  Persians.  See  Dan.  2, 1  to  49.  44th  verse.  At  this 
time  Daniel  said  :  "  In  the  days  of  these  kings  shall  the 
God  of  heaven  set  up  a  kingdom  which  shall  never  be 
destroyed  ;  and  the  kingdom  shall  not  be  left  to  other 
people,  but  it  shall  break  in  pieces  and  consume  all  these 
kingdoms,  and  it  shall  stand  forever."  About  48  years 
later,  by  comparing  chronology,  we  find  Daniel  himself 
having  a  dream  about  a  kingdom,  for  he  says : 

Daniel  7,  18. — "  But  the  saints  of  the  Most  High  shall 
take  the  kingdom  and  possess  the  kingdom  for  ever,  even 
forever  and  ever."  Again  we  read  : 

Daniel  7,  27.- — "And  the  kingdom  and  dominion,  and 
the  greatness  of  the  kingdom  under  the  whole  heaven, 
shall  be  given  to  the  people  of  the  saints  of  the  Most 
High,  whose  kingdom  is  an  everlasting  kingdom,  and  all 
dominions  shall  serve  and  obey  him."  This  power  of  the 
Gospel  is  to  encircle  the  entire  world. 

After  Daniel's  visions  and  prayers,  the  Angel  of  the 
Lord  was  sent  to  comfort  him  in  his  old  age ;  and  in  the 
12th  Chapter  of  Daniel,  verse  9,  we  read  :  "  And  he  said, 
Go  thy  way,  Daniel  ;  for  the  words  are  closed  up  and 
sealed  till  the  time  of  the  end."  And  in  Daniel  12,  13, 
he  said  again : 

"  But  go  then  thy  way  till  the  end  be :  for  thou  shalt 
rest  and  stand  in  thy  lot  at  the  end  of  the  days." 

We  remark  that  it  is  plain  Daniel  was  over-anxious 
about  his  people,  and  of  the  coming  and  the  Kingdom  of 
Christ;  and  his  age  was  such  that  we  must  admit,  although 


Of  the  Bible.  113 

loved  and  honored  by  the  Lord,  yet  he  was  called  to  order 
twice  in  the  last  two  verses  which  we  have  quoted,  to 
wit,  the  9th  and  13th  verses  of  Daniel  12th.  It  is  a  fault 
with  not  only  Daniel,  but  many  of  our  day,  that  they  be- 
come over-anxious  and  over-religious,  and  would  have 
Christ  come  in  their  time  and  their  way ;  and  they  have 
presumed  that  the  time  of  coming  is  revealed,  and  they 
know  so  much  of  the  time  that  the  whole  of  their  Chris- 
tianity is  "  Advent,"  get  ready,  now  Christ  is  at  the  door, 
etc. ;  and  we  poor  wretches  are  often  sent  to  hell  because 
of  this,  as  we  do  not  s^e  as  they  see  and  believe  as  they 
believe.  But  the  9th  arid  13th  verses  of  the  12th  Chapter 
of  Daniel  should  be  urged  in  favor  of  attending  to  our 
work  and  business  in  life,  and  not  be  over-anxious  about 
the  coming  and  the  Kingdom  of  the  Redeemer  ;  and  we 
should  know  that  if  prepared  to  live,  and  if  we  only  dare 
to  do  right  and  serve  God,  we  shall  be  exalted.  So  let  us 
remember  the  lesson  of  the  angel  given  to  Daniel,  12th 
chapter,  9th  and  13th  verses. 

It  was  prophesied  by  Isaiah  as  follows : 

"  CHAPTER    LX. 

Glorious  access  of  the  Gentiles. 

Arise,  shine  ;  for  thy  light  is  come,  and  the  glory  of  the 
Lord  is  risen  upon  thee. 

For,  behold,  the  darkness  shall  cover  the  earth,  and 
gross  darkness  the  people  :  but  the  Lord  shall  arise  upon 
thee,  and  his  glory  shall  be  seen  upon  thee. 


114  Magnetic  Astronomy 

And  the  Gentiles  shall  come  to  thy  light,  and  kings  to 
the  brightness  of  thy  rising. 

Lift  up  thine  eyes  round  about,  and  see:  all  they 
gather  themselves  together,  they  come  to  thee  :  thy  sons 
shall  come  from  far,  and  thy  daughters  shall  be  nursed  at 
thy  side. 

Then  thou  shalt  see,  and  flow  together,  and  thine  heart 
shall  fear,  and  be  enlarged  ;  because  the  abundance  of 
the  sea  shall  be  converted  unto  thee,  the  forces  of  the 
Gentiles  shall  come  unto  thee." 

"  CHAPTER    LXT. 

The  office  of  Christ. 

The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  God  is  upon  me  ;  because  the 
Lord  hath  anointed  me  to  preach  good  tidings  unto  the 
meek;  he  hath  sent  me  to  bind  up  the  brokenhearted,  to 
proclaim  liberty  to  the  captives,  and  the  opening  of  the 
prison  to  them  that  are  bound: 

To  proclaim  the  acceptable  year  of  the  Lord,  and  the 
day  of  vengeance  of  our  God  ;  to  comfort  all  that  mourn  : 

To  appoint  unto  them  that  mourn  in  Zion,  to  give  unto 
them  beauty  for  ashes,  the  oil  of  joy  for  mourning,  the 
garment  of  praise  for  the  spirit  of  heaviness  ;  that  they 
might  be  called  Trees  of  righteousness, — the  planting  of 
the  Lord, — that  he  might  be  glorified." 

In  the  70  years  of  our  Christian  life  we  have  seen  and 
known  of  much  that  we  looked  upon  as  being  over-right- 
eous on  the  part  of  sects  and  denominations,  divisions  and 


Of  the  Bible.  115 

subdivisions  of  churches  and  families  in  our  travels;  but 
when  we  had  the  most  of  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  then  we 
could  forgive  all  wrongs,  and  love  the  whole  race  of 
mankind,  as  in  the  language  of  the  prophet  :  "Preach 
the  gospel  to  the  poor." 

The  prophet  Isaiah  lived  and  wrote  some  700  years  be- 
fore the  birth  of  our  Saviour.  See  Isaiah  65,  17,  and  66,  22. 
"For  behold,  I  create  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth.'' 
•"  For  as  the  new  heavens  and  the  new  earth  which  I 
will  make  shall  remain  before  me,  saith  the  Lord." 

In  considering  these  two  passages  as  they  stand  sepa- 
rate from  their  connections,  they  teach  us  two  plain  ami 
straight-forward  facts  about  TWO  NEW  THINGS.  Fhst, 
A  new  heaven  ;  and  second,  a  new  earth.  And  if,  as  we 
suppose,  the  spirit  of  the  prophet  only  intended  to  show 
to  his  people  that  it  meant  a  new  form  of  the  earthly  gov- 
ernment, then  some  minds  have  overestimated  the  word 
of  the  Lord: 

We  find  in  connection  with  all  the  prophesies  that  they 
speak  in  a  parabolic  manner,  and  in  this  matter  of  the  New 
Earth,  may  it  not  be  designed  to  teach  us  of  the  mighty 
changes  of  the  customs  and  the  laws  and  the  government 
of  a  state  or  a  nation,  or  of  the  change  in  the  affairs  of 
the  whole  world  ? 

The  second  new  thing  is  a  New  Heaven. 

Now,  if  we  mistake  not,  in  the  Bible  Heaven  begins  on 
the  Earth,  both  in  spirit  and  in  practice,  and  if  the  prophet 
has  overdrawn  the  nicture  and  only  means  that  his  New 


116  Magnetic  Astronomy 

Heaven  is  but  a  free  and  independent  church, — one  that 
is  founded  upon  a  new  plan  or  a  new  and  a  more  divine 
and  holy  charity.  Again,  we  may  be  misled  as  to  this 
leading  passage,  and  determination  or  meaning  of  the 
o-reat  Head  of  the  Church.  For  Jesus  hath  said:  "  And 

o 

without  a  parable  spake  he  not  unto  them." 

These  two  chapters,  the  65th  and  66th  of  Isaiah,  teach 
us  of  many  things.  First:  Of  the  Gospel  to  the  Gentiles. 
Second  :  That  the  New  Wine  is  in  the  clusters,  and  it  shall 
be  preserved  thus  when  God's  people  are  wise.  Third  : 
The  New  Heaven,  of  which  we  have  written  above. 
Fourth :  He  speaks  of  Jerusalem,  which  is  interpreted 
PEACE.  This  is  a  good  thing  in  a  church,  where  peace 
is  to  be  found.  Fifth  :  They  shall  build  houses  and  in- 
habit them.  Sixth  :  God  will  be  served  in  sincerity  and 
in  truth.  Seventh  :  The  gathering  of  all  nations  to  God 
and  to  Christ,  and  peace  is  to  be  perpetuated  in  Church 
and  State. 


CHAPTER  X. 

[From  the  Overland  Monthly.] 

THE    UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA.        THE 
LICK  ASTRONOMICAL  DEPARTMENT. 

The  Lick  Observatory  is  in  a  sense  the  crowning  pos- 
session of  the  University.  From  the  scholar's  point  of 
view  it  is  eminent  over  the  other  departments,  in  being 
the  single  one  that  is  mainly  given  up  to  original  research. 
From  the  popular  point  of  view  it  is  magnificent  in  the 
possession  of  the  largest  telescope  on  earth.  It  gratifies 
the  pride  of  the  State  keenly  to  know  that  pilgrims  from 
foreign  lands  count  it  one  of  the  things  that  must  be  seen 
in  California.  No  Philistine  doubt  of  the  utility  of  pure 
science  can  stand  against  this  pride  ;  and  a  public  that 
has  seen  the  time  when  it  was  half-ready  to  pull  the 
courses  at  Berkeley  to  pieces  in  contempt  of  "  unpracti- 
cal learning/'  has  never  asked,  "  What  practical  use  in 
knowing  of  a  fifth  moon  of  Jupiter,  or  a  shadowy  dupli- 
cate streak  across  Mars  ?  "  Doubtless  the  fascination  of 
the  heavens — of  mystery,  exploration,  and  discovery — 
has  had  much  to  do,  also,  with  the  interest  in  the  Observ- 
atory ;  the  diligence  and  skill  with  which  its  results  have 

been  made  known  to  the  people  has  counted  for  much ; 

117 


118  Magnetic  Astronomy 

and  none  of  the  thousands  who  have  visited  the  summit 
of  Mount  Hamilton  can  have  failed  to  come  away  in  some 
degree  awed  by  the  singularly  visible  form  science  takes 
on  in  that  great  dome  in  the  heart  of  the  wilderness,  lifted 
up  between  the  sky  and  the  tumbled  sea  of  mountain  tops. 
In  spite  of  the  pride  in  it  at  home,  and  its  good  name 
abroad,  the  Lick  Observatory  is  not  a  rich  institution. 
Mr.  Lick's  gift  was  -$700,000.  It  was  at  first  believed 
that  $300,000  of  this  could  be  saved  for  endowment,  but 
as  the  work  of  building  and  equipping  on  the  mountain- 
top  progressed  it  became  evident  that  this  would  be  im- 
possible ;  and  in  fact,  when  all  was  done,  the  Observatory 
had  cost  about  $600,000,  leaving  about  $100,000  for  en- 
dowment. The  interest  on  this  fund  was  supplemented 
by  an  appropriation  from  the  general  revenues  of  the 
University.  This  diversion  of  money  from  the  main  work 
of  the  University  to  a  branch  that  had  been  expected  to 
be  dependent  on  its  own  revenues  was  not  accomplished 
without  opposition,  but,  I  think,  is  generally  acquiesced 
in  now  as  necessary  to  any  adequate  use  of  the  Observa- 
tory property.  It  is  not,  however,  by  any  means  a  desir- 
able way  for  the  income  of  the  Observatory  to  be  per- 
manently derived:  there  should  be  a  separate  endowment 
sufficient  for  all  needs.  Even  with  this  help  the  full  use 
of  the  resources  of  the  Observatory  cannot  be  had,  for 
lack  of  a  sufficient  staff.  The  latest  report  gives  the  fol- 
lowing comparison  of  the  working  force  in  several  observ- 
atories :  — 


Of  the  Bible.  119 

Lick  Observatory 6 

Greenwich  Observatory .... 20 

Harvard  "  40 

Paris  " 17 

astronomers,  and  many  computers. 

Pulkowa  Observatory 16 

Kio  Janeiro       "  16 

Washington      " 19 

Yet,  the  report  adds,  "  At  least  as  much  is  expected 
from  the  Lick  Observatory  as  from  any  of  these  establish- 
ments." 

The  income  of  the  Harvard  College  Observatory  was 
stated  by  its  latest  report  at  133,507  from  funds,  $64,958 
from  all  sources.  The  average  appropriations  for  salaries 
and  current  maintenance  of  the  Washington  Observatory 
are  stated  at  $56,000.  The  Lick  Observatory  received 
last  year  as  interest  on  its  funds,  $5,100 ;  from  the  Uni- 
versity funds,  $21,000. 

That  it  has  under  the  circumstances  held  its  own  among 
the  observatories  of  the  world,  as  it  has,  seems  to  me  a 
remarkable  evidence  of  the  diligence,  precision,  ability, 
and  efficient  adjustment  of  the  work  done  by  every  one 
of  the  small  group  of  astronomers.  I  find  the  Harvard 
Observatory  and  the  Lick  Observatory  named  together 
(in  a  pamphlet  concerning  the  Washington  Observatory, 
put  forth  by  a  number  of  American  astronomers)  as  "  the 
two  chief  observatories  of  America."  In  turning  over  the 


120  Magnetic  Astronomy 

great  foreign  astronomical  publications,  I  find  the  Lick 
Observatory  mentioned  with  constant  respect ;  its  obser- 
vations texts  for  the  discussions  of  learned  societies,  and 
utilized  in  the  work  of  the  great  observatories ;  its  astron- 
omers' names  signed  to  frequent  communications.  Nor 
this  by  any  means  only  in  matters  depending  on  "  the 
mere  brute  power  of  a  great  telescope,"  (to  plagiarize  a 
clever  phrase,)  though  of  course  the  great  telescope  is  its 
special  distinction.  I  shall  try  to  give  later  in  this  article 
some  summary  of  the  accomplishment  of  the  Observatory 
so  far,  and  I  think  it  will  be  seen  to  be  large  in  propor- 
tion to  the  means  that  have  been  available. 

It  is  evident  that  the  current  expenses  of  the  Observa- 
tory are  all  that  its  income  could  hope  to  cover.  The 
sending  out  of  a  scientific  expedition,  the  purchase  of  new 
expensive  instruments,  or  any  such  outlay,  can  be  accom- 
plished only  by  means  of  gifts.  And  in  fact  a  good  deal 
of  what  has  been  done  already  has  been  due  to  the  success 
of  the  director  in  interesting  wealthy  people  in  the  work, 
and  obtaining  money  for  special  purposes  of  this  sort.  In 
the  four  years  of  the  existence  of  the  Observatory  nearly 
$10,000  has  been  thus  given  ;  and  now  Mrs.  Phoebe  Hearst 

• 

has  given  a  fund  which  will  yield  at  least  $ 2,000  a  year, 
and  will  be  in  part  applied  to  the  maintenance  of  fellow- 
ships, thus  increasing  the  staff  to  some  extent ;  while  it 
can  be  in  part  reserved  for  important  special  purposes. 
No  one  seems  to  know  how  or  when  the  idea  of  a  great 


Of  the  Bible.  m 

telescope  entered  Mr.  Lick's  mind.  It  was  there  before 
lie  took  any  one  into  his  confidence.  He  had  never  looked 
through  a  telescope  ;  had  never  seen  a  real  telescope,  so 
far  as  any  one  knows.  He  was  entirely  ignorant  of  astron- 
omy, and  not  even  in  an  unlearned  way  an  observer  of 
the  skies, — in  early  talks  about  his  plans,  for  instance,  he 
wished  to  be  shown  the  moon  in  Professor  Davidson's 
telescope  out  of  his  north  windows.  In  some  way,  how- 
ever, through  chance  readings,  a  sense  of  the  glory  of 
astronomical  discovery  had  laid  hold  upon  him,  and  the 
first  persons  with  whom  he  talked  of  the  disposition  of  his 
fortune  found  the  plan  of  the  telescope  already  firmly  fixed 
in  his  mind. 

James  Lick  was  of  u  Pennsvlvania  Dutch  "  origin  ;  he 
was  brought  up  in  the  narrowest  circumstances  and  with 
the  narrowest  intellectual  opportunities ;  was  in  early 
manhood  a  mechanic  in  and  near  Pennsylvania,  then  spent 
most  of  his  mature  years  in  business  in  South  America. 
He  came  to  California  in  1847  with  a  good  deal  of  prop- 
erty, invested  early  in  real  estate,  and  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enty-seven found  himself  the  owner  of  several  millions, 
almost  alone  in  the  world,  and  failing  in  bodily  powers  ; 
it  was  inevitable  that  he  should  ponder  much  on  the  dis- 
position of  his  money.  He  had  no  belief  whatever  in  per- 
sonal immortality, — he  was,  in  fact,  a  man  of  most  marked 
disbeliefs  in  religious  matters,  recognizing  Thomas  Paine 
as  his  leader  in  thought, — but  he  had  a  great  desire  for 


122  Magnetic  Astronomy 

that  immortality  in  men's  memories  that  follows  the  few 
famous  ones  of  earth,  and  he  proposed  so  to  dispose  his 
millions  as  to  win  it.  He  did  not  at  first  altogether  realize 
that  in  this  aspiration  he  that  saveth  his  life  shall  lose  it ; 
nor  how  impossible  it  is,  in  this  stage  of  the  world's  pro- 
gress, that  a  memorial  should  bring  glory  to  a  man's  name 
unless  at  the  same  time  it  is  of  great  service  to  mankind. 
His  first  will  left  as  the  main  bequest  a  million  dollars  for 
statues  of  himself  and  his  parents,  to  be  erected  on  the 
heights  overlooking  the  shores  of  the  ocean  and  bay. 
Yet  he  was  more  than  indifferent  to  having  his  portrait 
painted,  and  a  passion  for  statuary  for  its  own  sake  — 
abundantly  shown  in  the  minor  bequests — probably  en- 
tered into  his  desire  to  have  his  bodily  presentment  thus 
kept  for  all  time. 

In  1873   he   beuan   to  take  into   his  confidence  a  few 

O 

acquaintances,  and  ask  their  judgment  of  his  plans.  Al- 
though he  had  lived  a  very  isolated  life,  and  had  no  near 
friends,  he  was  in  his  way  attached  to  the  Pioneer  Asso- 
ciation and  had  made  acquaintances  there,  and  he  had  a 
liking  for  the  Academy  of  Sciences  and  some  sympathy 
with  its  pursuits. 

In  February,  1873,  he  quite  unexpectedly  offered  the 
Academy  a  piece  of  land  on  Market  Street,  the  site  of  its 
present  building.  Professor  George  Davidson,  then  pres- 
ident of  the  Academy,  called  to  thank  him,  and  Mr. 
Lick  then  told  him  of  his  purpose  of  leaving  money  for  a 


Of  the  Bible.  12$ 

great  telescope.  It  could  not  have  been  far  from  this 
time  that  he  spoke  of  his  intentions  to  Mr.  D.  J.  Staples^ 
whom  he  knew  through  the  Pioneer  Association,  and 
showed  him  his  will.  Mr.  Staples  became  from  that 
time  one  of  his  principal  advisers  in  matters  concerning 
the  trusts  in  general,  as  Professor  Davidson  was  with  re- 
gard to  the  telescope.  There  were  others,  however, 
with  whom  he  talked,  and  it  is  quite  impossible  to  trace 
the  influences  that  finally  shaped  his  benefactions  ;  for  he 
had  a  way  of  consulting  one  and  another,  and  quietly 
comparing  notes  on  their  advice,  without  letting  either 
one  know  what  he  was  saying  to  the  other  ;  and  in  gen- 
eral, I  should  judge  that  where  their  advice  agreed,  he 
took  it ;  where  it  did  not,  he  followed  his  own  way. 

Mr.  Staples  felt  it  his  duty  to  tell  Mr.  Lick  frankly 
that  his  bequests  for  statues  of  himself  and  family  would 
be  utterly  useless  as  a  memorial  ;  that  the  world  would 
not  be  interested  in  them  ;  and  when  Mr.  Lick  urged 
that  such  costly  statues  would  be  preserved  for  all  time, 
as  the  statues  of  antiquity  now  remained  the  precious 
relics  of  a  lost  civilization,  answered,  almost  at  random  : 
"  More  likely  we  shall  get  into  a  war  with  Russia  or 
somebody,  and  they  will  come  around  here  with  warships 
and  smash  the  statues  to  pieces  in  bombarding  the  city." 

Mr.  Lick  was  struck  by  this,  and  after  a  few  moments' 
consideration  asked,  "  What  shall  I  do  with  the  money,, 
then  ?  " 


JiM:  Magnetic  Astronomy 

Mr.  Staples  thought  it  too  important  a  question  to  an- 
swer hastily,  and  after  talking  with  Mr.  Ralston,  the 
banker,  he  brought  together  at  Mr.  Ralston's  home  a 
small  group  of  careful  men, — among  whom  were  Mayor 
Selby,  President  Oilman,  and  Doctor  JStillman,  to  consider 
it ;  out  of  this  conference  came  most  of  the  suggestions 
that  Mr.  Lick  later  adopted.  There  were  points  in  the 
will  that  Mr.  Lick's  advisers  felt  sure  would  injure  its 
validity,  and  he  consented  to  draw  a  second  will,  and  fin- 
ally a  deed  of  trust.  These  things,  however,  concern 
rather  the  story  of  the  trusts  in  general  than  that  of  the 
telescope. 

The  first  will  had  contained  a  bequest  for  this  ;  and 
whatever  other  provisions  were  changed,  this  was  never 
questioned  by  any  one,  nor  changed  except  as,  under  the 
influence  of  Professor  Davidson,  the  amount  was  increas- 
ed. Mr.  Lick  had  no  knowledge  whatever  of  any  of  the 
auxiliaries  needed  by  a  telescope,  or  of  the  purposos  of 
astronomy  beyond  bare  discovery  ;  and  all  this  was  left 
to  Professor  Davidson  to  outline  to  him  in  the  few  months 
of  their  conferences.  Out  of  the  very  interesting  verbal 
narrative  that  Professor  Davidson  has  given  me  of  this 
episode,  he  is  willing  to  have  in  print  at  present  only  so 
much  as  is  contained  in  the  following  memorandum, 
which  he  wishes  me  to  leave  in  his  own  words  : — 

I  am  not  willing,  at  this  time,  to  write  the  narrative  of 
my  relations  with  James  Lick  from  February,  1873,  to 


Of  the  Bible.  125 

August,  1874,  but  I  give  very  briefly  the  following  items 
of  interest: 

James  Lick  originally  intended  to  erect  the  Observa- 
tory at'Fourth  and  Market  streets.  His  ideas  of  what  he 
wanted  and  what  he  should  do  were  of  the  very  vaguest 
character.  It  required  months  of  careful  approaches  and 
the  proper  presentation  of  facts  to  change  his  views  on 
location.  lie  next  had  a  notion  of  locating  it  on  the 
mountains  overlooking  his  mill-site,  near  Santa  Clara, 
and  thought  it  would  be  a  Mecca, — but  only  in  the  sense 
of  a  show. 

Gradually  I  guided  his  judgment  to  place  it  on  a  great 
elevation  in  the  Sierra  Nevadas,  by  placing  before  him 
the  results  of  my  experimental  work  at  great  elevations, 
as  well  as  the  experience  of  either  high-altitude  observers. 
At  the  same  time,  by  my  presentation  of  facts  and  figures 
of  the  cost  and  maintenance  of  other  observatories,  he 
named  the  sum  of  f  1,200,000  in  one  of  his  wills,  as  the 
sum  to  be  set  aside  for  founding  the  James  Lick  Observ- 
atory, and  for  its  support. 

In  making  him  acquainted  with  the  size  and  perform- 
ance of  the  telescopes  of  the  larger  observatories,  I  natu- 
rally mentioned  the  great  reflector  of  Lord  Rosse.  That 
seemed  to  fire  his  ambition,  and  at  the  next  interview  he 
insisted  on  a  refractor  of  six  feet  in  diameter.  It  requir- 
ed long  and  patient  explanations  to  get  him  down  to  forty 
inches,  which  was  the  diameter  we  finally  adopted. 

In  October,  1873,  I  obtained  his  permission  to  make 
known  to  the  California  Academy  of  Sciences  the  main 
facts  of  his  intention  to  place  the  largest  refracting  tele- 
scope that  could  be  constructed  at  an  elevation  of  10,000 
feet  in  the  Sierra  Nevadas.  I  have  not  the  announce- 


126  Magnetic  Astronomy 

ment  within  reach,  but  it  was  published  in  the  Alta  Cal- 
ifornia late  in  October,  I  think  the  21st.  A  short  time 
before  that  I  had  confidentially  made  the  facts  of  Lick's 
intentions  known  to  Lelatid  Stanford  and  his  wife. 

An  eminent  astronomer  had  nearly  frustrated  the 
whole  project,  by  urging  Mr.  Lick  to  adopt  a  reflecting 
telescope  instead  of  a  refractor  ;  but  he  had  a  remarkably 
clear  mechanical  mind,  arid  I  had  very  little  trouble  in 
satisfying  him  of  the  weakness  of  the  suggestion. 

Before  I  went  to  Washington  for  consultation  with 
other  observers  for  the  Transit  of  Venus  expeditions  of 
1874,  Mr.  Lick  held  to  the  decision  of  the  refractor  at  a 
great  elevation,  and  details  had  been  decided  upon, 
although  lie  had  several  times  changed  his  will  in  other 
matters.  Before  departing*  I  showed  him  that  by  the 
Code  of  California  he  could  not  then  devise  by  will  to  any 
corporate  body,  and  urged  him  to  make  a  Deed  of  Trust. 

Upon  my  return  I  found  he  had  made  the  Deed  of 
Trust,  and  that  some  of  the  Pioneers  had  prevailed  upon 
him  to  locate  the  observatory  on  the  north  shore  of  Lake 
Tahoe  ;  and  had  prevailed  upon  him  to  reduce  the  $1,200,- 
000  to  $700,000. 

When  he  again  changed  his  views,  and  determined  to 
locate  the  observatory  on  the  vastly  inferior  site  of  Mount 
Hamilton,  I  declined  further  conference  with  him. 

The  whole  of  my  intercourse  with  him  was  full  of  curi- 
ous and  interesting,  and  sometimes  dramatic,  incidents, 
that  have  never  been  sought  by  any  one  professing  to 
write  the  history  of  the  Lick  Observatory. 

The  trust  deed  was  dated  July,  1874  ;  for  over  a  year 
and  a  half  Mr.  Lick  had  been  continuously  occupied  in 


Of  the  Bible.  127 

•consultations  and  plans  as  to  the  exact  disposal  of  the 
money.  He  now  began  to  occupy  himself  with  the  carry- 
ing out  of  his  favorite  purpose,  the  erection  of  the  tele- 
scope. The  deed  did  not  bind  him  positively  to  the 
Tahoe  site,  and  his  mind  lingered  about  nearer  ones,  for 
he  had  from  the  first  been  reluctant  to  have  the  observa- 
tory so  far  from  routes  of  travel ;  he  wished  it  to  be  as 
much  visited,  as  constantly  before  the  eyes  of  people,  as 
possible.  He  found  advisers  who  favored  various  nearer 
sites, — chiefly  on  the  ground  of  the  severity  of  the  win- 
ters at  Tahoe  ;  and  during  the  summer  of  1875  he  had 
his  agent,  Mr.  Eraser,  examine  and  report  on  a  number 
of  these  sites,  Mt.  Hamilton  among  them.  Mr.  Lick  had 
been  a  citizen  of  Santa  Clara  County  until  1873,  and  had 
property  there,  and  when  Mr.  Fraser  reported  that 
Mount  Hamilton  was  the  most  accessible  and  the  most 
convenient  for  building,  and  when  the  county  agreed  to 
construct  a  road  to  the  summit,  he  decided  finally  to 
place  the  Observatory  there. 

It  is  something  over  4,200  feet  high,  and  as  it  was  the 
first  great  astronomical  establishment  to  be  placed  at  any 
considerable  height,  it  was  talked  of  all  over  the  scientific 
world  for  this,  as  well  as  for  the  great  telescope.  An 
article  in  the  Edinburgh  Review  gives  Mr.  Lick  great 
credit  for  having  4t  felt  instinctively,"  though  without  as- 
tronomical knowledge,  what  the  astronomers  were  just 
coming  to  perceive, — that  the  great  need  of  their  science 


128  Magnetic  Astronomy 

was  high  altitude  observations ;  and  for  having  been 
"from  the  first  determined  "  upon  taking  the  pioneer  step 
in  this  direction.  In  fact,  it  had  taken  a  great  deal  of 
pressure,  not  from  Professor  Davidson  only,  for  Mr. 
Staples  and  doubtless  others  said  much  to  him  on  this 
point,  to  prevent  the  location  of  the  Observatory  between 
Pioneer  Hall  and  the  Academy  of  Sciences  Building, 
under  the  fogs  of  the  peninsula,  and  amid  the  jarring  of 
drays.  Professor  Davidson,  however,  had  set  his  heart 
upon  so  much  more — an  elevation  of  not  less  than  9,000 
feet, — that  he  could  not  reconcile  himself  to  what  he  felt 
the  loss  of  an  unprecedented  scientific  opportunity.  And 
in  fact  the  Lick  Observatory  may  soon  be  surpassed  in  its 
advantage  of  altitude  by  others,  as  it  is  already  by  sev- 
eral observing  stations.  I  do  not  know  that  it  follows 
that  it  will  be  surpassed  in  the  excellence  of  its  "  seeing," 
for  I  find  that  astronomers  do  not  agree  as  to  the  supreme 
value  of  high  observing  stations:  for  stellar  observations, 
it  is  said,  rarity  of  air  is  not  so  important  as  steadiness, 
which  does  not  necessarily  depend  on  height ;  at  medium 
heights,  also,  the  freedom  from  fogs  on  the  one  hand  and 
storms  on  the  other  may  be  expected  to  be  greatest,  and 
the  number  of  clear  nights  in  the  year  the  highest.  These 
are  points,  however,  for  astronomers  to  settle.  Certainly 
Mount  Hamilton  has  been  praised  over  and  over  as  the 
best  site  in  the  world  so  far  occupied  by  any  great  ob- 
servatory. Professor  Burnharn's  visit  in  1879,  while  it 


rax  *0 

the  Bible.    "^^^^^29 

WSLS  still  a  wilderness,  his  sojourn  on  the  mountain  in  a 
temporary  dome,  and  his  enthusiastic  report  on  the  con- 
ditions, are  within  every  one's  memory.  In  the  three  fall 
months  of  his  stay  forty-two  nights  were  "  first-class,'' 
— a  higher  proportion  perhaps  than  at  any  other  time  of 
the  year ;  but  observers  in  Washington  have  been  known 
to  have  but  thirty-eight  very  good  nights  in  a  year. 

While  Mr.  Lick  was  settling  the  question  of  the  site, 
the  trustees  began  to  consider  that  of  plans.  They  con- 
sulted Professor  Newcomb,  of  the  United  States  Naval 
Observatory  at  Washington,  and  during  the  October  of 
1874  he  and  Professor  Holden,  at  that  time  one  of  the 
astronomers  of  the  Washington  Observatory,  drew  the 
general  plans  that  have  since  been  followed.  At  the  same 
time,  Professor  Holden  was  asked  by  1).  0.  Mills,  the 
president  of  the  trustees,  to  take  the  directorship  of 
the  observatory,  and  accepted.  The  whole  work  of 
building  and  equipment  was  of  a  sort  to  require  super- 
vision from  an  astronomer,  besides  an  amount  of  personal 
attention  which  it  was  hardly  possible  for  Mr.  Mills  to 
give.  Professor  Holden  was  a  young  man  for  such  a 
place, — twenty-eight  years  old, — but  he,  was  a  man  of 
whom  a  great  deal  was  expected,  energetic  and  brilliant, 
and  of  good  training.  He  had  been  a  year  one  of  the  as- 
tronomers in  the  Washington  Observatory  and  Professor 
of  Mathematics  in  the  Navy,  before  that  for  two  years  a 
lieutenant  in  the  Engineer  Corps  and  instructor  at  West 
10 


ISO  Magnetic  Astronomy 

Point,  where  he  had  graduated  with  distinction,  after 
taking  a  scientific  degree  at  the  Washington  University 
of  St.  Louis.  But  lie  was  not  destined  to  enter  upon  the 
duties  of  director  till  many  years  later  ;  for  in  1875,  some 
dissatisfaction  having  arisen  between  Mr.  Lick  and  cer- 
tain of  his  trustees,  he  sought  to  recall  and  remake  the 
trust  deed,  succeeded  in  doing  so  through  the  legal  serv- 
ices of  Mr.  Felton,  and  in  September,  1875,  made  a  new 
trust  deed,  in  which  he  reserved  the  right  to  change  the 
trustees.  The  only  other  change  made  by  this  deed  was, 
that  the  observatory  was  to  be  turned  over  ultimately  to 
the  University  instead  of  the  Academy  of  Sciences.  I 
have  been  told  of  a  personal  incident  that  Mr.  Lick  gave 
as  a  reason  for  this  change  ;  it  is  not  unlikely  that  Mr. 
Felton's  influence  also,  which  was  always  for  the  Uriiver 
sity,  had  something  to  do  with  it. 

Under  the  new  deed  Mr.  Lick  appointed  a  board,  of 
which  Captain  Floyd  was  the  president ;  and  a  year  later 
replaced  it  by  a  third,  retaining  Captain  Floyd  as  presi- 
dent, however.  A  month  later,  October  1,  1876,  Mr. 
Lick  died,  at  the  age  of  eighty.  He  had  ended  after  all 
by  leaving  no  provision  for  his  own  tomb ;  but  he  is  said 
to  have  spoken  of  wishing  to  be  buried  at  the  Observa- 
tory; and  in  1887  his  remains  were  carried  to  the  moun- 
tain, and  placed  in  a  mausoleum  under  the  pier  of  the 
great  telescope. 

In  the  same  year,  1876,  Captain  Floyd  being  in  Lon- 


Of  the  Bible.  131 

don  met  Professor  Ilolden,  who  had  been  sent  by  the 
government  to  examine  and  report  upon  the  South  Ken- 
sington Loan  Collection  of  Scientific  Instruments,  espec- 
ially improvements  in  astronomic  and  geodetic  instru- 
ments. This  acquaintance  resulted  in  Professor  Holden's 
becoming  the  scientific  adviser  of  the  board  through  the 
whole  process  of  construction  ;  he  completed  the  speci- 
fications for  the  buildings  according  to  the  original  plan, 
took  part  in  th®  vast  correspondence  that  was  carried  on 
with  astronomers  and  opticians  all  over  the  world,  and 
later  attended  to  the  purchase  of  most  of  the  instruments. 
For  three  years  nothing  but  planning  and  corresponding 
oould  be  done,  for  the  trust  was  kept  at  a  standstill  by 
the  danger  of  a  litigation  that  might  have  ended  in  the 
loss  of  the  whole.  Claims  were,  however,  happily  com- 
promised, and  in  1880  work  was  begun  on  the  mountain. 
To  place  buildings  so  substantial  and  extensive  on  a 
bare  peak  twenty-six  miles  by  mountain  road  from  the 
nearest  town,  was,  of  course,  no  slight  undertaking,  as 
72,000  tons  of  rock. had  to  be  removed  to  get  a  level 
space  large  enough  for  the  building,  and  two  summers 
were  consumed  in  this  task.  Santa  Clara  County  had 
promptly  and  efficiently  fulfilled  its  promise,  and  one  of 
the  finest  of  mountain  roads, — firm,  even,  and  so  beauti- 
fully graded  that  there  is  not  a  place  in  it  where  the 
stage-horses  need  break  their  trot, — awaited  the  begin- 
of  work  on  the  observatory.  In  five  years  all  the 


132  Magnetic  Astronomy 

buildings  were  ready,  except  the  great  dome,  which  had 
to  wait  till  the  telescope  was  ready. 

Mr.  Lick's  deed  had  provided  for  "  a  telescope  superior 
to  and  more  powerful  than  any  telescope  yet  made,  with 
all  the  machinery  appertaining  thereto,  and  appropriately 
connected  therewith,  .  .  .  and  also  a  suitable  obser- 
vatory." When  these  words  were  written,  the  largest 
refracting  telescope  in  the  world  was  the  26-inch  one  of 
the  Naval  Observatory,  made  by  Alvan  Clark  &  Sons,  and 
erected  in  1873.  But  while  the  Lick  trusts  were  at  a 
standstill  three  more  large  glasses  were  made,  the  largest 
one  30  inches,  made  by  the  Clarks  for  the  Imperial 
Observatory  at  Pulkowa,  Russia.  36  inches  was  the 
largest  lens  the  Lick  trustees  could  get  the  Clarks  to  con- 
tract for  ;  so  at  that  size  the  order  was  given,  $50,000 
being  the  contract  price.  Everyone  will  remember  the 
somewhat  dramatic  story  of  this  glass  :  how  Feil  &  Co. 
of  Paris  undertook  to  cast  it  for  the  Clarks,  and  sent  the 
flint-glass  over  safely  in  1882,  but  cracked  the  crown- 
glass  in  packing;  how  the  elder  Feil  having  retired,  the 
sons  tried  in  vain  for  a  couple  of  years  to  get  the  great 
glass  block  safely  cast,  and  at  last  went  into  bankruptcy; 
how  the  elder  Feil  came  to  the  rescue,  took  charge  of 
the  business  again,  and  near  the  end  of  1885  shipped  to 
the  Clarks  a  perfect  block.  Professor  Newcomb,  who 
visited  Europe  to  investigate  this  matter  of  glass  disks, 
made  an  interesting  report  on  the  process  of  making, 


Of  the  Bible.  133 

which  I  have  seen  quoted.  The  difficulty  is  to  get  the 
glass  of  perfectly  even  texture  throughout,  and  this  can 
never  be  hoped  for  on  the  first  annealing  ;  veins  must  be 
cut  out,  the  block  reheated,  pressed  together,  and  again 
annealed,  each  trial  consuming  months. 

The  Clarks  then  took  a  year  for  the  "  figuring," — the 
delicately  precise  shaping  of  the  lenses  to  the  most  per- 
fect collection  of  light,  so  delicate  that  the  last  stages  are 
done  with  the  thumb  and  the  palm  of  the  hand. 

The  mounting  was  made  by  Messrs.  Warner  and 
Swazey,  of  Cleveland,  and  the  great  dome  by  the  Union 
Iron  Works  of  San  Francisco.  Of  the  mechanical  ex- 
cellences of  the  work  much  has  been  said  in  many  jour- 
nals ;  and  although  some  adjustments  were  necessary 
"before  everything  worked  smoothly,  I  believe  the  work 
has  all  proved  to  be  on  the  whole  wonderfully  perfect 
and  wise.  The  great  telescope,  with  its  accessories,  cost 
about  $200,000. 

Professor  Holden  made  three  visits,  the  first  in  1881, 
to  attend  to  the  setting  up  of  the  meridian  circle,  and 
observe  the  transit  of  Mercury  ;  and  in  1882  Professor 
Todd,  of  Amherst  Observatory,  observed  the  transit  of 
Venus  here,  and  obtained  excellent  results.  In  1885 
Professor  Holden  came  to  the  State  as  president  of  the 
University  and  director  of  the  Observatory,  and  for  the 
next  three  years  made  vacation  headquarters  at  the 
mountain,  and  was  able  to  be  in  constant  communication 
with  the  trustees  in  San  Francisco. 


134  Magnetic  Astronomy 

In  1888  the  Observatory  was  formally  turned  over  to 
the  University  regents,  and  its  staff  of  astronomers  was 
appointed.  Professor  Holden,as  a  matter  of  course,  was 
retained  as  director:  he  had  been  called  to  the  University 
with  that  understanding.  The  fourteen  years  that  had 
passed  since  his  relation  to  the  Observatory  began  had 
been  so  occupied  as  to  give  him,  in  unusual  degree,  an 
"all-round"  acquaintance  with  the  practical  and  theo- 
retic questions  of  his  science.  He  had  remained  five 
years  in  the  Washington  Observatory,  and  had  been 
successively  in  partial  charge  of  each  department  of 
astronomical  work,  and  in  each  had  been  employed  not 
only  in  observing,  but  in  calculating  and  in  the  study  of 
results:  and  had  made,  as  librarian,  bibliographer,  and 
writer,  an  unusual  acquaintance  with  the  literature  of  the 
science.  He  had  in  1881  been  called  to  the  directorship 
of  the  still  unfinished  Washburn  Observatory,  at  Madi- 
son, Wisconsin,  and  had  organized  it  efficiently  and  given 
it  a  good  standing.  In  1878  he  had  been  in  charge  of 
the  United  States  Eclipse  Expedition  to  Central  City, 
Colorado;  in  1883  of  the  United  States  Eclipse  Expedi- 
tion to  the  South  Pacific  Ocean ;  and  in  188i  of  the 
Division  of  Meteorology  of  the  Northern  Transcontinental 
Survey.  Without  having  obtained  brilliant  distinction 
in  any  one  department  of  his  science,  he  was  an  astrono- 
mer of  recognized  merit  in  all,  as  evidenced  then  or  soon 
after  by  honorary  degrees  from  several  universitiee,  and 


Of  the  Bible.  135 

membership  in  a  long  list  of  scientific  societies  in  America 
and  Europe  ;  one  of  these  at  least,  that  of  associate 
membership  in  the  Royal  Astronomical  Society  of 
England,  an  honor  enjoyed  by  scarcely  a  dozen  American 
astronomers,  and  a  practical  guarantee  of  standing.  "The 
first  requisite  for  the  director  of  a  great  observatory  "  (I 
quote  a  private  letter  from  an  astronomer)  "  is  to  have  a 
very  clear  notion  of  just  what  kind  of  work  ought  to  be 
done,  how  it  should  be  done,  and  then  to  give  all  the  aid 
in  his  power  to  the  investigator.  In  all  these  particulars 
Professor  Holden  seems  to  be  just  the  right  man  in  the 
right  place."  In  carrying  on  the  external  relations  of 
the  Observatory,  also, — relating  it  to  other  observatories, 
in  this  country  and  abroad,  seeing  to  it  that  knowledge  of 
its  work  is  thoroughly  and  to  the  best  advantage  dissemi- 
nated,— Professor  II olden  has  been  a  successful  director; 
aided  in  this  by  a  really  fine  literary  power  and  a  wide 
general*  cultivation.  Of  difficulties  just  now  discussed  by 
the  papers,  concerning  the  adjustment  of  internal  rela- 
tions, I  do  not  think  it  suitable  to  say  anything  here.  It 
is  unfortunate  that  any  one  should  have  tried  to  adjust 
them  through  the  press  ;  Mr.  Alvan  Clark  might  as  well 
have  tried  to  figure  the  great  lens  with  a  Corliss  engine. 
This  much  should  be  said  :  whatever  difficulties  have 
occurred  have  been  aggravated,  first,  by  the  want  of  a  per- 
manent president  in  the  University,  which  raises  ques- 
tions of  authority ;  and  second,  by  the  inherent  difficulties 


136  Magnetic  Astronomy 

of  settling  novel  questions  of  administration  in  a  novel 
situation.  This  is  the  first  great,  permanent  observatory 
thrown  so  on  its  own  resources,  far  from  university  or  city 
surroundings,  and  without  the  relief  of  contact  with  other 
than  the  one  line  of  thought.  Nor  is  the  situation  of  a 
remote  military  post  analogous,  for  definite  military  prec- 
edents there  settle  everything, — a  system  impossible  in  a 
branch  of  a  modern  university,  manned  by  scientific  men, 
of  independent  thought  and  distinction. 

The  appointment  of  his  colleagues  was  left  to  Professor 
Holden.  He  selected  J.  E.  Keeler,  now  director  of  the 
observatory  at  Alleghany,  Pennsylvania,  S.  W.  Burnham, 
E.  E.  Barnard,  and  J.  M.  Schaeberle.  Besides  these,  the 
only  full  astronomers,  holding  rank  as  professors  in  the 
University,  have  been  Henry  Crew,  now  of  Northwestern 
University,  and  W.  W.  Campbell,  appointed  last  year.  Of 
those  astronomers  who  are  not  now  on  the  staff  I  must  not 
pause  to  speak,  except  in  the  case  of  Professor  Burnham, 
who  has  been  connected  with  the  Observatory  until  very 
lately.  His  somewhat  unique  position  among  American 
astronomers  deserves  mention.  He  is  not  only  one  of  the 
self-created  men  of  science  who  have  not  been  so  very 
rare  in  America  (the  story  has  been  told  in  print  and  is 
not  unfamiliar),  but  he  is  an  instance  in  what  I  think 
must  be  a  rare  degree  of  the  attainment  of  eminence 
through  concentration  of  effort  on  a  single  line.  Professor 
Burnham  is  not  only  a  specialist  in  being  an  observer 


Of  the  Bible.  137 

merely,  unfamiliar  with  the  other  sides  of  astronomical 
science,  but  as  an  observer  he  is  almost  exclusively  a 
specialist  in  double  stars  ;  and  in  discovering  and  measur- 
ing these  he  has  no  rival.  While  he  was  at  Mount 
Hamilton,  this  branch  of  observation  naturally  became 
very  prominent,  and  the  great  telescope  was  given  up  to 
it  for  more  than  a  third  of  the  time. 

Professor  Barnard  also  is  a  self-taught  astronomer,  and 
while  not  a  specialist  in  so  intense  a  sense  as  Professor 
Burnham,  he  is  primarily  an  observer.  His  keen  vision, 
great  power  of  eager  and  yet  patient  and  laborious  atten- 
tion, and  doubtless  other  elements  in  his  work  that  astrono- 
mers could  define, give  him  in  especial  the  name  of  "genius" 
among  his  colleagues.  Just  now  the  most  brilliant  and 
generally  interesting  feat  the  great  glass  has  yet  accom- 
plished, the  discovery  of  the  fifth  moon  of  Jupiter,  has 
brought  Professor  Barnard  the  more  into  note.  Before 
this,  however,  he  had  made  some  remarkable  observa- 
tions on  comets,  following  them  to  unprecedented  dis- 
tances and  detecting  their  approach  before  anyone  else. 
In  1891  he  discovered  all  the  five  comets  of  the  year,  in- 
cluding two  new  ones;  in  all,  he  has  discovered  nineteen 
comets  in  ten  years.  Besides  these  most  striking  obser- 
vations, "  Professor  Barnard  has  made  a  very  large  num- 
ber" (I  quote  a  newspaper  account  by  Professor  Holden) 
"  upon  the  physical  appearance  of  the  planets  Venus, 
Jupiter,  and  Saturn,  upon  the  zodiacal  light,  etc.,  upon 


138  Magnetic  Astronomy 

meteors,  lunar  eclipses,  double  stars,  occultations  of  stars,, 
etc.,  and  he  has  discovered  a  considerable  number  of  new 
nebulas,  also." 

Professor  Schaeberle  is  an  astronomer  of  full  univer- 
sity preparation,  trained  thoroughly  and  soundly  on  all 
sides  of  his  science,  and  in  those  allied  sciences  that  uni- 
versity preparation  includes.  A  graduate  of  Michigan 
University  in  1876,  he  was  instructor  in  practical  astron- 
omy in  the  observatory  there,  refusing  calls  elsewhere, 
till  he  came  to  Mount  Hamilton  in  1888.  He  has  discov- 
ered two  comets,  made  a  long  series  of  meridian  circle 
observations  and  very  extensive  calculations  concerning 
asteroids  and  comet  orbits,  and  has  done  much  work  in 
physical  and  mathematical  astronomy.  His  theory  of  the 
causes  of  the  sun's  corona  was  the  text  of  a  recent  dis- 
cussion in  the  Royal  Astronomical  Society  of  England, 
and  if  finally  accepted  will  be  to  those  who  value  the  in- 
terpretation of  the  universe  more  than  the  collection  of  its- 
facts  the  most  solid  and  important  contribution  to  science 
yet  made  by  the  Observatory.  Professor  Schaeberle  has- 
just  put  forth  tentatively  a  theory  which  seems  to  account 
for  the  k' canals"  of  Mars  and  their  duplication  with  a 
rational  simplicity :  if  we  regard  the  bright  portions  of 
the  planets  as  water,  and  the  dark  as  land,  instead  of  vice 
versa,  as  at  present,  he  points  out,  the  "  canals  "  may  not 
improbably  be  mountain  chains,  some  of  them  parallel 
chains,  as  on  the  earth. 


Of  the  Bible.  139 

Professor  Campbell  has  been  in  the  observatory  only  a 
year,  but  has  forwarded  his  work  much  by  introducing 
the  photography  of  spectra  with  the  great  telescope.  He 
has  also  studied  the  orbits  of  comets,  and  published  last 
year  a  text  book  of  astronomy  for  university  use,  which, 
I  am  told,  has  been  well  received.  He  is  a  Michigan 
University  graduate  of  1886  ;  was  professor  of  mathe- 
matics in  the  University  of  Colorado,  then  succeeded 
Professor  Schaeberle  as  instructor  in  astronomy  at  Mich- 
igan University. 

The  present  distribution  of  work  among  these  astrono- 
mers is  given  by  the  official  report  as  follows:  The  great 
telescope  is  used  for  photography  two  nights  in  the  week, 
by  Holden  and  Colton  (assistant  astronomer  and  secre- 
tary); two  for  spectroscope  observations  by  Campbell  and 
Townley  (Hearst  Fellow)  ;  two  by  Barnard  and  Schae- 
berle for  miscellaneous  observations ;  Saturday  night  is 
given  up  to  visitors.  The  12-inch  telescope,  the  6z-inch 
telescope,  the  comet-seeker,  and  photographic  telescope, 
are  used  by  Barnard,  and  by  others  when  not  in  use  by 
him.  The  meridian  circle  is  in  charge  of  Professor  Schae- 
berle ;  the  time  service,  of  Professor  Campbell,  but  most 
of  the  work  is  done  by  Mr.  Townley.  The  meteorologi- 
cal and  earthquake  instruments  are  in  charge  of  Mr.  Col- 
ton.  Professor  Holden,  besides  the  general  charge  of 
the  establishment  and  of  forwarding  each  one's  work,  the 
work  in  photography,  and  until  Mr.  Townley  was  ap- 


140  Magnetic  Astronomy 

poinled  as  the  first  Hearst  Fellow,  in  spectroscopy,  has 
most  of  the  work  of  librarian,  the  scientific  correspond- 
ence, and  the  editorial  charge  of  the  publications  of  the 
Astronomical  Society. 

The  Observatory,  as  turned  over  to  the  University,  had 
a  site  of  1901J  acres,  since  increased  to  2581^  acres;  this 
is  mainly  made  up  of  state  and  national  grants,  for  most 
of  the  mountain  top  was  fortunately  public  land.  One 
object  in  getting  so  large  a  reservation  was  to  guard 
against  brush  fires,  by  which  the  buildings  at  one  time 
were  threatened.  The  main  building  consists  of  two 
domes,  connected  by  a  hall  121  feet  long,  along  the  west 
side  of  which  are  stutly  and  work  rooms.  The  great 
dome,  78  feet  in  diameter,  occupies  the  south  end  of  the 
leveled  platform  ;  it  moves  on  the  top  of  a  tower,  whose 
foundations  are  set  deep  in  the  rock.  The  moving  parts 
weigh  nearly  89  tons,  but  so  perfect  is  the  mechanism — 
operated  by  a  small  water-engine — that  one  may  see  the 
vast  concave  swing  around  at  the  pressure  of  a  child's 
hand.  The  floor  works  up  and  down  by  a  hydraulic  ar- 
rangement devised  by  Sir  Howard  Grubb  ;  this  arrange- 
ment to  a  great  extent  takes  the  place  of  an  observer's 
chair.  The  monster  tube,  fifty-seven  feet  long  and  four 
feet  in  diameter  at  the  center,  is  mounted  here  on  an  iron 
pier  thirty-eight  feet  high.  It  is  provided  with  "  finders  " 
of  six,  four,  and  three  inches  in  diameter.  When  it  is 
used  for  photography,  an  additional  single  lens,  33  inches 


Of  the  Bible.  141 

in  diameter,  is  placed  in  front  of  the  two  lenses  that  form 
the  visual  objective,  and  the  instrument  is  turned  into  a 
great  camera.  The  eye  end  is  provided  with  mechanism 
by  which  the  observer  as  he  sits  can  do  most  of  the  hand- 
ling necessary  ;  with  a  micrometer,  and  a  frame  to  which 
spectroscopes,  photometers,  or  enlarging  cameras,  can  be 
attached.  The  Observatory  has  besides  the  great  equa- 
tor al  a  12-inch  one,  which  occupies  the  25-foot  dome  at 
the  north  end  of  the  platform,  a  6i-inch  one,  and  a  4-inch 
"  comet-seeker."  Behind  the  main  building  is  the  merid- 
ian circle  house,  which  contains  a  fine  Repsold  meridian 
circle,  and  a  4-inch  transit  and  zenith  telescope.  The 
Observatory  is  besides  well  equipped  with  spectroscopes, 
chronographs,  clocks,  meteorological  instruments,  arid 
complete  earthquake  apparatus.  These  buildings,  with 
a  small  photographic  laboratory,  take  up  the  leveled 
space.  On  the  side  of  the  peak  a  large  brick  dwelling- 
house  for  astronomers  finds  place,  reached  by  a  bridge  to 
its  upper  story  ;  and  below,  on  the  saddle  between  two 
peaks  (the  mountain  has  three,)  gathers  quite  a  village 
of  subsidiary  cottages,  workshops,  etc.  Beyond  these  is 
a  small  dome  for  photographic  work,  the  gift,  with  its 
telescope,  of  Regent  C.  F.  Crocker. 

When  the  late  Mr.  Newall,  of  England,  presented  his 
25-inch  refractor  to  Cambridge,  his  son,  who  was  to  be  its 
astronomer,  made  a  tour  of  the  great  observatories  of  the 
world,  and  came  all  the  way  to  California  to  study  the 


142  Magnetic  Astronomy 

equipment  of  the  Lick  Observatory  and  the  mounting  of 
the  great  telescope.  The  Earl  of  Rosse  visited  and  ex- 
amined it  in  1891  ;  Professor  Auwers,  of  the  Royal  Acad- 
emy of  Sciences  of  Berlin,  and  Professor  Vogel,  Director 
of  the  Potsdam  Observatory,  are  to  do  so  soon,  on  a  tour 
of  inspection  with  reference  to  a  great  telescope  for  the 
Prussian  government.  The  satisfaction  the  astronomers 
feel  in  showing  the  Observatory  and  its  equipment  to  these 
competent  judges  is  unmistakable.  It  certainly  seems, 
even  to  the  guest  ignorant  of  astronomy  and  astronomical 
instruments,  a  most  intelligible  satisfaction.  The  whole 
place  is  fascinating,  exceedingly, — the  road  thither,  wind- 
ing up  from  one  stage  to  another  of  mountain  outlook, 
through  the  amazing  medley  of  loops  and  turns  by  which 
it  preserves  its  easy  grade,  mounting  at  last  and  circling 
the  sides  of  the  peak  itself:  the  fine,  firm,  dignified  build- 
ing, before  whose  broad  entrance  one  is  finally  set  down  ; 
the  shining  orderliness  and  perfection  of  everything  ;  the 
sense  of  being  islanded  above  the  world,  the  distance  and 
seclusion,  and  yet  the  intimate  nearness  to  the  whole 
world  of  science  ;  the  cordial  hospitality  of  every  one 
there  :  the  vast,  dark  dome  by  night, — "  as  big,"  some 
one  with  me  said,  "  as  the  sky  looks  to  most  people," — 
with  the  great  tube  spanning  the  darkness,  directed 
steadily  and  silently  against  the  sky,  like  a  powerful  can- 
non, lying  in  wait  to  storm  its  immemorial  secrets. 

Mr  Lick's  deed  prescribed  that  the  Observatory  should 


Of  the  Bible.  143 

be  "  made  useful  in  promoting  science."  Whether 
through  the  alliance  with  the  University  or  by  Professor 
Holden's  original  plan,  it  has  taken  on  also  a  function  of 
diffusing  knowledge  and  aiding  education  in  the  State. 
I  do  not  know  if  any  other  great  observatory  in  the  world 
takes  on  itself  any  such  function,  at  least  to  any  such  ex- 
tent. In  the  first  place,  there  is  the  surrendering  of  orre 
night  in  the  week  to  visitors.  This  does  not  mean  that  a 
few  stray  pilgrims  make  their  way  to  the  shrine  in  the 
wilderness.  It  means  that  stage  after  stage  from  San 
Jose  rolls  up, — twenty  in  a  procession,  sometimes, — and 
the  little  group  of  astronomers  receives  with  unflinching 
courtesy  the  hundreds  of  passengers,  and  with  a  swiftness 
and  deftness  that  is  really  wonderful,  marshals  them 
through  the  Observatory,  explaining  patiently  its  leading 
points,  until  far  on  in  the  night.  22,496  guests  are 
recorded  in  four  years, — some  of  them  by  day,  to  be  sure, 
when  the  Observatory  is  always  open.  No  other  obser- 
vatory in  the  world  offers  such  privileges  to  visitors.  The 
Astronomical  Society  of  the  Pacific  is  an  efficient  means 
of  diffusing  astronomical  interest  and  knowledge.  It 
seems  to  be  an  unusually  vigorous  and  well-knit  organi- 
zation, publishes  a  bi-monthly  journal,  skillfully  edited 
tu  be  of  interest  to  astronomers  and  unlearned  members 
alike,  has  branches  in  Eastern  States,  and  some  five 
hundred  members  scattered  all  over  the  world.  And  in 
addition,  through  newspapers  and  magazines,  full  expla- 


H4  Magnetic  Astronomy 

nations  of  the  work  and  statements  of  the  general  result.- 
reached  in  the  Observatory  have  heen  given  forth  as  fast 
as  they  reached  definable  shape.  No  one  that  knou> 
much  of  the  time  and  skill  such  publication  demands  can 
look  over  the  quantity  that  has  been  done  without  wonder 
and  respect. 

•  The  Observatory  has  from  the  first  planned  for  gradu- 
ate students  whenever  the  accommodations  permitted,  and 
nine  in  all  have  studied  practical  astronomy  there  ;  of 
these,  five  were  professors  from  other  institutions,  who 
came  for  further  study  of  some  special  sort.  It  is  the 
intention  to  make  more  and  more  of  this  graduate  work, 
and  already  no  student  need  leave  California  to  get  the 
highest  training  in  astronomy.  The  Harvard  and  Wash- 
ington observatories  give  no  instruction,  and  there  is  no 
reason  why  the  California  University  graduate  school 
should  not  become  the  source  to  which  observatories  all 
over  the  country  will  look  for  their  young  astronomers. 
The  director  has  been  unusually  diligent  and  successful — 
as  any  one  may  learn  by  an  examination  of  the  reports, 
periodicals,  and  other  sources  of  first-hand  information 
available — in  bringing  forward  the  younger  men  about 
him  and  making  their  successes  known ;  and  I  am  told  by 
competent  and  disinterested  authority  that  the  system  of 
giving  credit  to  individual  observers  in  announcing  the 
results  of  the  Observatory  work  is  very  liberal  at  Mount 
Hamilton,  as  compared  with  that  of  other  observatories. 


Of  the  Bible.  145 

The  really  promising  young  astronomers  from  the  graduate 
school  will  profit  by  this  system. 

What  has  the  Lick  Observatory  done  thus  far  for  "  the 
promotion  of  science  "  ?  It  is  a  question  that  a  mere  on- 
looker cannot  possibly  answer  except  by  a  re-summary  of 
the  summaries  already  put  forth,  and  confirmed  by  the 
notices  of  astronomical  periodicals  : — 

Solar  Eclipses  of  Jan.  and  Dec.,  1889. — At  the  Janu- 

JL  */ 

ary  eclipse  Professor  Barnard,  and  the  Amateur  Photo- 
graphic Association,  more  or  less  under  his  direction, 
took  many  fine  photographs  of  the  corona,  which  demon- 
strated the  existence  of  an  "  extension  "  of  the  outer  coro- 
na. The  eclipse  of  December  was  observed  by  Professors 
Burnham  and  Schaeberle,  who  went  to  South  America  at 
the  expense  of  Regent  C.  F.  Crocker.  The  photographs 
of  these  two  eclipses  are  recognized  as  among  the 'best 
photographs  of  the  corona  ever  made.  Two  books  have 
been  published  by  the  Observatory  containing  the  results 
of  these  two  eclipses. 

It  was  from  their  evidence  that  Professor  Schaeberle 
was  led  to  his  theory  of  the  corona,  mentioned  -above. 
In  April,  1893,  the  next  total  eclipse  of  the  sun  takes 
place  ;  this  theory,  by  which,  if  it  is  sound,  the  general 
features  of  the  future  corona  can  be  now  foretold,  will 
then  have  a  practical  test.  A  party  under  Professor 
Schaeberle  will  go  to  Chile,  to  observe  the  eclipse. 


146  Magnetic  Astronomy 

Observations  of  the  Planets  and  Satellites. —  The 
planets  have  been  steadily  watched  and  studied,  measures 
and  drawings  of  them  made,  and  enlarged  photographs 
of  Jupiter  taken  at  regular  intervals,  thus  recording  all 
changes  in  the  surface.  These  photographs,  taken  by 
Professors  Plolden  and  Campbell,  are  the  subject  of  a 
p  iper  before  the  Royal  Astronomical  Society,  by  A.  Stan- 
ley Williams,  who  praises  them  all  highly,  and  says  of 
one  that  it  is  perhaps  the  finest  and  most  interesting  pho- 
tograph of  Jupiter  ever  obtained.  Much  time  has  been 
spent  in  examining  the  planets  Mars,  Uranus,  and  Nep- 
tune, in  search  of  new  satellites.  Jupiter  has  been  disad- 
vantageously  situated,  but  is  now  coming  steadily  into 
better  position,  and  will  be  more  and  more  studied.  Last 
summer  Professors  Schaeberle  and  Campbell  made  some 
interesting  discoveries  as  to  the  forms  and  motions  of  the 
moons  ;  and  in  September  came  Professor  Barnard's  fa- 
mous discovery  of  the  small  inner  moon. 

Double  Stars. — In  this  department  the  Lick  Observa- 
tory has  easily  led  thus  far,  and  Professor  Burnham  cata- 
logued 198  new  double  stars  there.  His  resignation  will 
make  the  subject  less  prominent  in  future  work. 

Meridian  Observations. — These  series  of  observations, 
carried  on  by  Professor  Schaeberle  with  the  meridian 
circle,  are  first  to  determine  the  positions  of  stars  to  join 
together  the  systems  used  in  the  nautical  almanacs  of  the 
different  nations;  second,  to  determine  the  refraction  of 


Of  the  Bible.  147 

the  stars.  A  former  series  of  similar  observations  is  be- 
ing reduced  by  computers  in  the  East,  at  the  expense  of 
Miss  Bruce  of  New  York,  and  Professor  Mendenhall  of 
the  United  States  Coast  Survey. 

Absorption  of  Photographic  Rays. — Professor  Schae- 
berle,  from  observations  by  Professor  Campbell  and  him- 
self, has  determined  the  amount  of  this  absorption  by  the 
air  at  different  altitudes, — a  datum  necessary  in  fixing  the 
photographic  magnitudes  of  stars,  and  never  before  defi- 
nitely determined.  This  memoir  is  about  to  be  published 
by  the  University  in  book  form. 

Comets. — Professor  Barnard's  notable  observations, 
which  give  the  Lick  Observatory  the  lead  in  this  direc- 
tion, have  been  mentioned  above. 

Star-Clusters  and  Nebulce  have  been  regularly  studied 
and  photographed,  and  in  the  case  of  the  cluster  in 
Hercules  a  novel  peculiarity  of  structure  has  been  ascer- 
tained. Professor  Barnard  has  taken  some  important 
photographs,  showing  the  real  shapes  of  nebula*.  Pro- 
fessor Holden'a  paper  on  Helical  Nebulas  has  been  trans- 
lated into  German,  and  received  with  much  consideration. 

Moon  Photographs  are  regularly  taken  with  the  great 
telescope,  and  it  is  the  intent  to  continue  till  a  complete 
set  has  been  obtained  for  every  hour  or  so  of  the  moon's 
nge.  Changes  on  the  moon's  surface  can  thus  be  de- 
tected. These  photographs  have  been  mechanically  en- 


148  Magnetic  Astronomy 

larged  on  glass  by  Professors  Burnham  and  Barnard,  and 
they  are  now  sent  regularly  to  Prague,  to  Professor 
Weinek,  who  makes  enlarged  drawings  of  parts  of  the 
surface,  which  are  printed  in  heliogravure,  at  the  expense 
of  Walter  Law,  of  New  York.  These  drawings  are 
studied  by  Professor  Weinek  and  Professor  Holden  with 
great  care,  and  Professor  Weinek  has  discovered  many 
new  features  in  this  way.  Doctor  Otto  Boedicker,  astron- 
omer of  Lord  Rosse's  observatory,  Doctor  Ebert  of  Er- 
langen,  and  Doctor  Franz  of  Koenigsberg,  are  also  mak- 
ing special  studies  of  them. 

Milky  Way. — The  Milky  Way  also  is  to  be  studied  by 
means  of  photographs,  which  Professor  Barnard  is  now 
taking,  attention  having  been  directed  to  the  promise  of 
excellent  results  through  some  most  successful  ones  that 
he  had  made.  The  comet  lately  discovered  made  its  im- 
pression on  one  of  these  plates,  and  was  thus  first  recog- 
nized as  a  stranger. 

Spectroscopy . — Professor  Keeler  made  some  remarka- 
ble spectroscopic  observations,  by  which  he  established 
(for  the  first  time)  the  motions  of  nebulae  in  the  line  of 
sight.  When  Professor  Campbell  succeeded  to  the  work, 
he  adapted  the  spectroscope — intended  for  visual  obser- 
vations—  to  photographing  spectra,  and  the  results 
showed  enormous  advantages  in  this  method.  To  this  is 
largely  due  the  unrivaled  success  of  the  Lick  Observatory 


Of  the  Bible.  149 

in  studying  the  new  star  in  Auriga.  The  greatest  num- 
ber of  lines  in  its  spectrum  reported  from  other  observa- 
tions is  three  ;  Professor  Campbell  has  measured  fourteen. 
During  the  time  this  star  was  very  faint  the  photographic 
observations  of  the  Lick  Observatory  were  the  only  ones 
by  which  it  could  be  followed.  They  alone  showed  its 
nebular  character,  and  since  its  extraordinary  change  into 
a  true  nebula,  they  have  been  the  only  ones  that  kept  ac- 
count of  its  motions —  showing  that  it  has  been  moving 
away  from  us,  and  is  now  approaching,  probably  revolv- 
ing in  a  vast  orbit  —  and  of  its  nature,  indicating  that 
planetary  nebulas  owe  their  genesis  to  such  new  stars  ; 
both  most  important  steps  in  our  knowledge  of  stars. 

A  review  of  the  publications  of  the  Astronomical  So- 
ciety will  show  many  minor  or  subsidiary  inquiries  going 
on  at  the  Observatory.  The  secretary's  report  to  the  re- 
gents shows  that  from  June,  1888,  to  September,  1892, 
there  have  been  462  papers  published  by  the  astronomers 
and  students  —  more  than  two  a  week.  Some  of  these 
have  been  brief  scientific  memoranda  ;  many  of  them  long 
and  arduous  papers. 

Two  things  will  be  noticed  in  looking  through  this 
summary  of  the  scientific  work.  First,  the  great  import- 
ance of  the  photographic  method.  This  is  a  new  aid  to 
astronomy,  which  the  Lick  Observatory  has  been  one  of 
the  first  to  appreciate,  and  which  it  has  unrivaled  facili- 
ties for  using.  The  power  it  gives  to  record  a  fleeting 


1^0  Magnetic  Astronomy 

phenomenon,  to  sit  down  and  study  it  at  leisure,  and  to 
send  it  for  confirmation  to  another  observer,  even  the 
other  side  of  the  world,  makes  it  of  inestimable  value. 
Second,  the  co-operative  relation  with  other  observatories. 
It  has  not  been  the  general  policy  of  observatories  to  give 
out  their  results  promptly,  and  help  each  other  in  mak- 
ing use  of  them.  The  Lick  Observatory,  by  a  division 
of  labor  that  to  some  extent  makes  it  a  gatherer  of  raw 
material,  to  be  worked  up  in  places  where  more  help  is 
available,  has  been  of  service  to  these  other  observatories, 
received  great  service  from  them,  and  hastened  the  ad- 
vance of  science  ;  a  few  months  sufficing  to  have  thor- 
oughly studied,  interpreted,  discussed,  and  settled,  some 
point  that  might  have  had  to  wait  years,  had  each  ob- 
servatory depended  on  its  own  resources.  As  has  been 
said,  if  the  four  distinguished  foreign  astronomers  now 
engaged  in  special  studies  of  the  moon  negatives  were  on 
the  staff  of  the  Lick  Observatory,  they  could  hardly  util- 
ize its  advantages  and  help  its  work  more. 

In  addition  to  all  the  purely  scientific  work,  the  Ob- 
servatory regulates  the  time  service  for  the  Pacific  States, 
sending  out  daily  signals  to  all  the  railroad  stations  ;  and 
several  minor  services  of  the  sort  have  been  rendered. 

That  the  Lick  Astronomical  Department  has  done  a 
surprising  quantity  of  work  in  the  four  years  cannot  be 
questioned.  One  is  disposed  to  think,  after  reviewing  it, 
that  too  much  has  been  done  rather  than  too  little.  The 


Of  the  Bible.  151 

great  ambition  of  all  the  astronomers  to  force  the  Lick 
Observatory  instantly  into  the  world's  front  rank,  in  spite 
of  limited  means  and  small  staff,  by  a  quantity  of  work 
that  would  demand  attention,  and  of  such  sort  as  would 
bear  the  judgment  of  the  first  European  scholars  and 
societies, —  this  seems  to  me  to  have  kept  the  work  at  a 
high  pressure  that  has  told  somewhat  on  the  men.  We 
must  be  grateful,  however,  that  the  grade  of  the  work 
has  been  kept  high.  It  is  most  easy  and  tempting  in  a 
new  institution  to  make  concessions  from  an  excellence 
that  one's  public  will  never  miss  ;  and  all  the  evidence 
shows  that  the  Lick  Observatory  has  not  done  this. 

MILICENT  W.  SHINN. 


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